{"id":1538978,"date":"2022-11-19T10:12:26","date_gmt":"2022-11-19T15:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1538978"},"modified":"2022-11-19T10:12:28","modified_gmt":"2022-11-19T15:12:28","slug":"despite-being-the-most-injured-player-ever-bill-walton-gushed-over-being-part-of-2-of-the-best-basketball-teams-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/despite-being-the-most-injured-player-ever-bill-walton-gushed-over-being-part-of-2-of-the-best-basketball-teams-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite Being the ‘Most Injured Player Ever,' Bill Walton Gushed Over Being Part of 2 of the Best Basketball Teams in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a stellar career at UCLA,<\/a> Bill Walton was on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats in the NBA. In just his third year in the NBA, Walton guided the Portland Trail Blazers to a championship when he led the league in rebounding (14.4) and added 18.8 points. The following season, he was named MVP of the league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Injuries then took their toll<\/a> on the 6-foot-11 center. He played just 14 games over the next four years as he dealt with foot problems. He wasn't rejuvenated until he signed with the Boston Celtics<\/a> prior to the 1985-86 season. There, he played a key role in winning Boston's third championship of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill Walton is a classic story of what could have been<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Despite
Bill Walton of the Boston Celtics looks on from the bench against the Washington Bullets during an NBA game circa 1985 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. | Focus on Sport\/Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Walton's significant injuries began in college at UCLA when he broke his back as a college senior<\/a> after being undercut at the hoop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI broke my spine when I was 21,\u201d he said on the\u00a0Al Franken Podcast<\/a><\/em>\u00a0earlier this year.\u00a0\u201cI was at UCLA,\u00a0and I was high above the basket \u2014 I love being high above the basket. Love just traveling around up there. Here I was, I was undercut, and it was just an awful situation. I flipped over and landed flat on my back. I broke my back and spent 11 days in the hospital. Things were really never the same for me again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After those 11 days, he was back on the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI played 11 days later,\u201d Walton recalled. \u201cBroke my back on January 7th, 1974, not that I remember the date. The next time I played was January 19th, 1974, and we lost our 88-game win streak that night, not that I remember the date, the details, or the facts. It\u2019s hard to play basketball with a broken back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it wasn't the back, it was the feet. From 1978 to 1982, Walton played 14 games in the NBA. When he returned to play for the San Diego Clippers in the 1982-83 season, he appeared in 33 games. He got new life when the Celtics traded Cedric Maxwell and a first-round pick to the Clippers for him prior to the 1985-86 season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish<\/a> manning the frontcourt, Walton no longer needed to carry a team. In '86, he played more games (80) than he did in any one season of his NBA career. He played his role off the bench to perfection, earning Sixth Man of the Year as the Celtics won the championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through it all, Walton is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Walton likely would have gone down as a top-5 or top-10 player of all time had injuries not gotten in the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the injuries, Walton remains grateful<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Bill Walton taking the T to the TD Garden to watch his @celtics<\/a> host Game 3! #NBA75<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1vHUlxwlFH<\/a><\/p>— NBA History (@NBAHistory) June 8, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>