Late Bill Walton’s Basketball Collection Up For Auction In June
SAN DIEGO, CA — Personal effects of the late Bill Walton will be offered at auction this June, spanning a renowned basketball career both as player and pundit, it was revealed Thursday.
A percentage of the earnings from the auction, presented by Hunt Auctions, will help UC San Diego’s orthopedic department.
“We are pleased to be presenting this offering of Bill’s memorabilia to his many fans,” said Walton’s widow Lori Walton.
“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.”
On the auction block are a treasure trove of basketball artifacts, including two NBA championship rings (for the Portland Trailblazers in 1977 and the Boston Celtics in 1986), his 1972 and 1973 UCLA Bruins NCAA Championship rings, game-worn jersey and sneakers and his 1977-78 NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
“Our family has been blessed with many priceless experiences as a result of Bill’s basketball career,” Lori Walton stated.
“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 remarkable 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.”
Walton, a La Mesa native, played at Helix High School before joining famous coach John Wooden at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to two consecutive 30-0 seasons, a record 88-game win streak, two NCAA titles, and remains one of just two players to garner three NCAA Player of the Year accolades.
His vivid red hair, 6-foot-11-inch height and outspoken political opinions — particularly in opposition to the Vietnam War — won Walton even more distinction.
“Bill Walton stands as a titan in the history of the game of basketball,” said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions.
“His dominance within the collegiate game ranks among the most elite players in its history, earning a record-tying three NCAA Player of the Year Awards.”
Drafted by the Blazers first overall in the 1974 NBA draft, “Big Red” battled persistent foot injuries in Portland before becoming one of the most formidable players on the court in the late 1970s.
He earned the Blazers their only championship before breaking with the organization over salary and treatment difficulties, joining his hometown San Diego Clippers in 1979.
His ailments lasted for several years before the squad relocated to Los Angeles.
Walton subsequently joined the Boston Celtics, with the veteran racking up another championship and collecting the Sixth Man of the Year Award under coach Red Auerbach.
“We are honored to present Bill Walton’s personal collection, which is one of the most important of its type to have been offered at public auction,” Hunt added.
“Perhaps more impressively was Bill Walton’s dedication to others, which continues to be evident with a portion of the auction proceeds benefiting causes at the University of California San Diego.”
Following his illustrious, but injury-studded career, Walton became a basketball color commentator, probably most memorably for West Coast viewers as the Grateful Dead-loving figure calling games for the PAC-12 conference.
Other things up for auction include Grateful Dead artifacts, broadcasting-related items and a tipi from his San Diego residence.
Walton was long one of San Diego’s strongest promoters, advocating a progressive political approach to numerous issues.
This altered considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he began speaking out against what he considered as ineffective policies, name-checking Mayor Todd Gloria and his efforts on homelessness.
Walton died in San Diego on May 27, 2024.
He is survived by his first wife, Susie Guth Walton, with whom he had four children: Adam, Nathan, Luke and Chris, and his second wife, Lori
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