The Big Lead

Basketball legend, beloved broadcaster to auction massive personal collection

By J.P. Hoornstra

Apr 8, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former players Norm Nixon, Kurt Rambis, athletic trainer Gary Vitti, Byron Scott, Bill Walton, Michael Cooper, Jamal Wilkes, AC Green, and James Worthy along with siinger Paula Abdul, Laker girl Aurora Elaine and Herbie Hancock were on hand to celebrate Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 75th birthday during halftime during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena.
Apr 8, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former players Norm Nixon, Kurt Rambis, athletic trainer Gary Vitti, Byron Scott, Bill Walton, Michael Cooper, Jamal Wilkes, AC Green, and James Worthy along with siinger Paula Abdul, Laker girl Aurora Elaine and Herbie Hancock were on hand to celebrate Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 75th birthday during halftime during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Bill Walton's legacy as a basketball player and broadcaster reflects a life well-lived.

Many artifacts of that life are now headed to an online live auction this June.

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Walton died in May 2024 at age 71 after a battle with cancer.

According to the release from Hunt Auctions, highlights of the collection to be auctioned include:

  • 1977 Bill Walton Portland Trail Blazers NBA Championship ring
  • 1972 and 1973 Bill Walton UCLA Bruins NCAA Championship rings
  • 1986 Bill Walton Boston Celtics NBA Championship ring
  • Bill Walton Hall of Fame Induction ring
  • Bill Walton NBA 50 Greatest Players ring
  • 1977-78 Bill Walton Portland Trail Blazers game worn jersey (MeiGray photomatch)
  • 1971-72 Bill Walton James Naismith NCAA Player of the Year trophy
  • 1977-78 Bill Walton NBA Most Valuable Player Award
  • Bill Walton Boston Celtics professional model jersey c.1986-87
  • Bill Walton UCLA Bruins and Portland Trail Blazers game worn sneakers

The rest of the collection will highlight hundreds of additional items in various categories also to include: Grateful Dead related materials relating to Bill Walton’s status as one of the most ardent followers of the iconic band; Various awards and other ephemera from UCLA and NBA playing career; Unique post career materials to include broadcasting related items and Bill Walton’s famed Tipi from his San Diego home.

The collection is being offered directly by the Walton family with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Orthopedic Department of the University of California San Diego, according to Hunt Auctions.

“We are pleased to be presenting this offering of Bill’s memorabilia to his many fans," Lori Walton, his wife, announced in the press release. "Bill’s career within the game of basketball spanned over five decades and through that time he was always so appreciative of the fans and people that supported him from his college days at UCLA through the NBA cities of Portland, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Boston. Our family has been blessed with many priceless experiences as a result of Bill’s basketball career. It is in the spirit of the support that fans displayed to Bill throughout those many seasons that we are sharing some of his memorabilia with that same group of special people. It is our wish that these items bring back cherished memories for the fans and I am so very grateful that the auction will also support a cause dear to Bill and me at the Orthopedic Department of the University of California San Diego.”

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