On May 27, the Blazers lost perhaps the best player in their history. Bill Waltonwho died at the age of 71, was a Hall of Famer, 1978 MVP, 1977 Finals MVP, and a member of the Top 75 players in history, after an already monstrous NCAA career.
As the Portland franchise was on vacation at the time of his death, it was unable to pay tribute to the former center. It will therefore be for next season, we learnwhen receiving the Pistons on March 9, 2025.
The evening of his son Luke's annual visit
The Blazers probably chose this date because it is Detroit's only trip to Oregon and among JB Bickerstaff's assistants is Bill Walton's son, Luke, who will therefore be able to attend this evening in tribute to his father's career.
Under the colors of Portland, and because of injuries, the double NBA champion (with the Blazers in 1977 and the Celtics in 1986) only played 209 games for 17.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.6 blocks on average. Time to be a two-time All-Star and MVP of the regular season. In addition, his number 32 has been retired by the Blazers since 1989.
| Bill Walton | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 1974-75 | POR | 35 | 33 | 51.3 | 68.6 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 12.6 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 12.8 | |
| 1975-76 | POR | 51 | 33 | 47.1 | 58.3 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 13.4 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 16.1 | |
| 1976-77 | POR | 65 | 35 | 52.8 | 69.7 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 14.4 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 18.6 | |
| 1977-78 ★ | POR | 58 | 33 | 52.2 | 72.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 13.2 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 18.9 | |
| 1979-80 | SDC | 14 | 24 | 50.3 | 0.0 | 59.3 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 13.9 |
| 1982-83 | SDC | 33 | 33 | 52.8 | 0.0 | 55.6 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 9.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 14.1 |
| 1983-84 | SDC | 55 | 27 | 55.6 | 0.0 | 59.7 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 8.7 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 12.2 |
| 1984-85 | LAKE | 67 | 25 | 52.1 | 0.0 | 68.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 10.1 |
| 1985-86 | BOS | 80 | 19 | 56.2 | 0.0 | 71.3 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 6.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 7.6 |
| 1986-87 | BOS | 10 | 11 | 38.5 | 0.0 | 53.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.8 |
| Total | 468 | 28 | 52.1 | 0.0 | 66.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 10.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 13.3 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
