Sad to hear the news of Bill Walton’s death. He was quirky dude, but he often had kind words for women’s basketball (before that was in style) and he was once profoundly kind to me. (Brief story below.)
We were working a kids basketball camp up in Seattle. It was sponsored by a bank. They would fly a few current and former athletes in to play with and do some demonstrations for the kids on the final day.
We would sit out in front of the kids for about an hour. I remember having to help Bill up from the chairs. He’d sit in the middle and the other two of us would push him up. He explained that his ankles were fused … due to all the injuries and surgeries, a tough lesson for a 22 year old athlete.
We ended up in the airport at the same time headed back to CA. He (and a current male NBA player whose name I don’t remember) invited me to come to the Alaska MVP lounge. I was super shy & tried to hide. Bill insisted. Then he took me to the counter and upgraded my ticket to first class.
That was 1998. Bill Walton treated me (a 22 year old female pro bball player) like one he would have treated a young NBA player. And then he recognized that we women didn’t have the same resources as the guys, and he remedied that for the moment. I never forgot it. It was my first time in 1st class.
The two best past NBA humans are probably both named "Bill;" Bill Russell was down front at the Coliseum when the Storm played at home, watching as respectfully as he'd watch the Sonics when he was coaching.
