(Los Angeles) American Bill Walton, double NBA champion and figure in the North American basketball league in the 1970s and 1980s, died Monday at the age of 71, the NBA announced.
Walton, who worked extensively in television after his career, died “after a long battle with cancer,” the NBA wrote in a press release.
Former pivot, Walton had brought happiness to the Portland Trailblazers (from 1974 to 1979) with an NBA title in 1977, the only one in the history of the franchise, before joining the Clippers (in San Diego from 1979 to 1984 then in Los Angeles in 1984-1985), and finally the Boston Celtics (1985-1988) for a new title in 1986 alongside the legend Larry Bird.
A college star with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Walton was drafted first overall in 1974.
A huge player (2.11 m) and dominant under the circle, with a headband to maintain long red hair in his youth, Walton had scored 13.3 points and taken 10.5 rebounds on average during his 468 NBA games.
His son Luke Walton played 564 games in the NBA between 2003 and 2013, and also won two NBA titles, with the Los Angeles Lakers (2009 and 2010).
Bill Walton also served as a consultant for 19 years (1990-2009) for various networks, including CBS, NBC and ESPN.