Legend Bill Walton has been laid up for a couple years due to serious back issues, which has not only deprived us NBA fans of absurd superlative commentary on ESPN broadcasts, but more important has prevented Walton from getting around much. But a surgery has helped out, and Walton is on his feet. It's only appropriate that those feet -- once cursed -- have taken Walton to Portland.Walton left Portland in 1979 in truly ugly fashion, as expertly documented in David Halberstam's The Breaks of the Game. Walton, who suffered a foot injury which denied the Blazers an opportunity for a repeat championship in 1978 and destroyed his career, accused Portland doctors and staff of malpractice on his way out, suing close friends in the process.
And now, he tells Portland he's sorry.
The Oregonian's Jason Quick documents Walton's return to Rip City, where Big Red is working on some charitable activities. Walton met with Blazers staff, and let loose.
Blazers ambassador Bill Schonely, who was the team's broadcaster when Walton played and has remained friends with him, was at the staff meeting.It's closure Walton no doubt needs ... and that Blazers fans deserve. But again, allow me to be selfish once again. We need more of this on the TV during Mavs-Spurs or whatever.
"He was very, very emotional," Schonely said. "He apologized for the things he did in the past. You know, he's 56 now, and we all grow up. But I know he is sincere. And he was close to death, and that tends to make you think about things. Now that he's making a comeback, I think he thought there's nothing he could do but apologize."
"I went from thinking I was going to die, to wanting to die, to being afraid I was going to live, to now seeing rainbows, Calliopes, clowns, and dreams of a better tomorrow," Walton said.He sees rainbows, Calliopes, clowns and dreams of a better tomorrow, people. He's back. Bill Walton is back.
Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Well, it's about time Bill!!! You personally have caused me a lot of grief jumping from Portland to the Laker bandwagon. You broke our hearts here in Portland with your actions.
But moving on, I hope you feel better and god bless.
Bill went to the Celtic bandwagon, it was Lucas, named after Trailer, Maurice, who got on the Laker bandwagon. But with his osteoporosis, Bill was just too fragile to play center in the Nba, and too talented to not play at all, so teaming with Robert Parish allowed him to play forward. It wasn`t just the British mystic of the Celts which appealed to Bill`s Irish/British, Celtic, ethnic background. And no one can blame Bill for being upset about his health problems. The fact they recurred recently, even without the rigors of Nba competition, reminded him it was not just the step from from Ucla to the Nba which caused the health problems, so he apologized for feeling Portland may have been part of the cause, not just the site, of his health difficulies. I`m glad. He considered Portland God`s Country when he first arrived, sounds as though he might feel that way again.
Walton may be a slut, I wouldn`t want to know if he were, but his terrorism was those rare occaissions after Ucla he was healthy enough to play, he was an excellent power forward/center swinger. If he had supported the killing of police officers, he would be in jail for life, or dead. Cops are not passive about being murdered, nor should they be. Patty Hearst`s family could buy and sell the Trailers, much less Walton. I wouldn`t call Patty an ignorant slut, much less Bill. She was apparently genuinely kidnapped, held for ransom, but Walton had his own problems to deal with. Like when Dave Cowens went skiing and the media insisted for a while it was Bill, despite his foot injury, skiing. No such luck. If Walton was involved in domestic terrorism, a generation ago, it would be more likely he would have helped the Fbi fight it, if only in self defense. Off court, Walton mainly terrorizes those who can`t compete with Ucla legends or can`t stand to hear about jam bands like the Grateful Dead. Maybe he should tone down the sarcastic hyperbole a bit, but he certainly knows basketball (like he knows Duncan is a center not forward). I can`t watch tv anymore, so I`m becoming a has been fan (fortuneatly, the Has Been City, New York, doesn`t want me, unfortunately, no where worthwhile does either), but Walton would be worth listening to on tv basketball.
Giles, I agree with everything you said about Mr. Walton....that is right up to the end. I can't stand listening to the man on a TV broadcast. I wih him well in his recovery, but I also wish he stays off the air!
I agree with Bob, Giles. Pretty good guy, lousy commentator.
I like the guy...a little over the top but fun
Bill Walton is a windbag & one of the most annoying announcers I have had the misfortune to listen to
the only reason y'all are getting on the laker bandwagon is because of big bill's son ,Luke Walton.
oh please--what nonsense
Unless you are old enough to remember when he played on that championship team in Portland, folks just don't know how great a player he was. But for the terrible foot problems, he would have been an ALL TIME GREAT all-star. Right up there with anyone (well, not quite with Wilt or Russell; but better than David Robinson, Nate Thurmond, George Mikan*, Shaq or Jabbar, who were also great players). And, he was (very, very) WHITE. Imagine that now, in 2009. A great white NBA center (from the USA), night after night making mincemeat of black NBA centers (let's face it, 95% of the NBA is black-through talent, not affirmative action.hmmmmm...), although anyone but Wilt would have had problems with Shaq in his prime (because of his almost inhuman size, weight & strength). It makes folks like me, an Atlantan who lived through the Jon Koncak era, cry (I still dom't get how "Jonny Contract" could go head to head even with Akeem O., another all-time great, throughout their college careers, but when Jon gets to the Hawks...). Bill Walton truly was a genuine "Great White Hope."AND, having Maurice Lucas (a tough, tough guy) around to guard Bill's skinny, white butt sure helped. Maybe only Marvin Barnes could compare with Mo Lucas in the tough guy department. I can't remember yesterday, but I still remember scenes of Lonnie Shelton, a very tough player, being taken out by Maurice Lucas!
* On Mikan, don't let your ignorance show. His size & strength were Shaq-like for the time. He, like Wilt, caused the NBA to make rule changes to try and stop his total dominance.
Hey unabob you sound like a unabomber. What an idiot. Get over yourself or come up with proof of your allegations.
1. For loridans: The correct last name is ABDUL-JABBAR. ("Abdul" is not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's middle name.)
2. unabob is referring to Walton's indirect involvement with the SLA ("Symbionese Liberation Army"), the mid-1970s group that murdered the Oakland, CA, superintendent of schools and kidnapped Patty Hearst. Walton became close friends with Jack Scott, former AD at Oberlin College, who'd helped SLA while they were on the run.
Bill was a great basketball player, and had his freedom of speech, we all grow up and become wiser or dumier, it is our choice.
Bill Walton talks too much.I liked him better when he was a stuttering fool..now he just does not stutter and he is just a fool with too much to say about everything
Bill Walton is a douche.
Bill's just another loud-mouthed negro, always talking loud and over-exaggerating and, oh! wait! Bill's not black! Well be thankful Bill that you're not! because the worst things that should be said about you would be if you were! black. Haters who don't even follow sports would come out of the woodwork and comment on this story just
to put you down if you were black. So just be glad and thankful that your loudmouth-overexaggerated-self will be spared any reproach.
I wish you well in your recovery, but please stay away from broadcasting...you're just to over the top.
this what hippie lettuce does, makes you an emotional crazy train
I think Bill decided to get out of bed now that the Dead are finally up and touring again since Jerry Garcia died. I recall seeing Bill backstage at many shows in the old days.
Bill Walton in his prime was one of the very best centers. I agree that he wasn't as good as Wilt or Russell, but I think he was better than anyone else. No questions there and it is unfortunate that people seem to have forgotten that. He was such a dominant player, even if was for such a short time.
I am not interested in what any sports figure has to say except for really positive caring people like David Robinson and I wish that NBA.com felt that way too. The fact that they fill up space with blowhards like Charles Barkley is disgusting. Players are in the NBA for their basketball skills, not for their beliefs or ability to solve world problems. For the most part, if they aren't discussing basketball, they don't seem to have anything worthwhile to say.
In my opinion Walton was the greatest college player who ever lived. For about a season and a half in the NBA, he was as good as any center who's ever played. No doubt his politics were extreme and he can be waaaay over the top as an analyst, but he certainly was a fantastic player when healthy. Glad he's back...