MANILA, Philippines — Hall of Fame center Bill Walton, a two-time national champion at UCLA and two-time NBA champion, died Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 71.
Walton was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, who he led to their only NBA championship in 1976-77. Named the league MVP in 1977-78 and the Sixth Man of the Year in 1985-86, he added a second ring as a member of the 1985-86 Boston Celtics.
Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.