Former Maryland basketball star Tom McMillen was surprised to hear that Bill Walton had died at the age of 71 from cancer. 'I didn't know he was that sick,' McMillen said. 'I would have reached out to him. He was a great human being.'
Former Maryland basketball star Tom McMillen was surprised to hear that Bill Walton had died at the age of 71 from cancer. “I didn’t know he was that sick,” McMillen said. “I would have reached out to him. He was a great human being.”
Their college years included a legendary showdown in their senior years, as Maryland opened the 1973-74 season at Pauley Pavilion against Walton and UCLA . For Walton, it was actually a 142-game winning streak over five years that started in his high school years. In 1977, Walton showed the NBA his greatness while averaging 18.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.2 blocks per game, leading Portland to an NBA title.
He was named the MVP of the NBA finals, which prompted the losing coach, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Gene Shue, to declare, “Bill Walton is the best player for a big man who ever played the game of basketball.
It was George Foreman-like, from angry and withdrawn to friendly and sociable, a Grateful Dead ambassador. He underwent this change despite nearly 40 operations for foot and back ailments that left him in pain throughout much of his life.
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