In recent seasons, Warriors high-scoring All-Star Kevin Durant has become more determined to use his 7-5 wingspan to make more of an impact on defense. Theres a lot of guys, Draymond (Green) is the same way, small, undersized power forward but can guard plenty of guys because of his length. He didnt often hear the term wingspan, finally understanding how special his measurement is when he got to the NBA. Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. Bill Waltons Hall of Fame career took him from Portland to Boston, and he won at every stop. A wingspan always helps people, whether its blocking shots or deflections on defense.. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. This does not change the fact that, shortly after he won MVP honors, Dream summarily digested him.). The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. Today, the tallest of the Deadheads, the man whose wingspan could be seen towering over most others . At his peak he averaged 18.6/14.4/3.6 with 52% shooting and was the best player on a championship team. (Walton had played drums with the Dead at a show in Egypt, and he sometimes took teammates to shows and brought band members to team practices.). It's no coincidence that Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who stands 7-1 and led the NBA in blocks last season, has the longest wingspan in the league at 7 feet, 9 inches. Walton had a bulging medical file before he even reached collegehe suffered multiple lower leg fractures and underwent knee surgery while still in high schooland struggled through broken bones in his spine and knee tendinitis at UCLA, resulting in another knee surgery before he joined the Blazers. Bill's full name is William Theodore Walton. Between 1993 and 2001, he fired up 5.0 long balls per 36 minutes of floor time, and cashed them in at a cool 38.2 percent clip. The wingspan sure helps a lot of people, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . He was a perfectionist whose range of skills and dedication never ceased to impress those who saw him play. (OK, I agree: That was a very Bill Waltonass thing to say.) After sitting out the entire 1978-79 season, Walton headed to San Diego and strife followed him there. As a collegian, he suffered tendinitis in his knees and injured his back. Every asset that a player has might make up for something else. But when you have the great game of basketball with all the ultimate winners of the genetic lottery its not how high you jump, its where you are and when you jump.. Inspired by rule changes that allowed for zone defenses, easier double-teams, and more effective swarms of players holding the ball in the post, the game has moved away from just dumping the ball down to your big man on the block and letting him cook. Walton inducted himself into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. At the top of his form, Walton scored, passed, intimidated, hustled, and played the role of leader with the best centers of his day. He claimed to be around the 6ft 11 mark, and on his twitter in 2015 still saying "I am 6'11"" .. "I love it now.it took me a while to get used to standing out in the crowd, looking awkward, feeling uncomfortable. Combine that with what would assuredly be a significantly curtailed workload in the age of load managementWilt averaged an absurd 45.8 minutes per game for his careerand youll get fewer mythological stat lines. People followed him on Twitter. NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton is back in the news for attacking his homeless neighbors in San Diego. The 76ers had a chance to pull out Game 6, but both Julius Erving and George McGinnis missed medium-range shots that would have sent the game into overtime. Whether he could stay nimble enough to meet that kind of challenge would go a long way toward determining how effective hed beand how much damage he could do on the other end. A steady vet who knows his role on defense, whos good in the locker room, and whose heart wont start racing in the postseason would make an awful lot of money sticking around these days. (Walton later sued the team; the case was settled out of court.). What if he stayed healthy? His old national teammate Sarunas Marciulionis emphasized in Basketball: A Love Story that Sabonis hadnt yet fully developed his face-up game, his 3-point shot, or his court vision before playing in Spain following the 88 Olympics, so a younger model wouldnt necessarily have resembled a more explosive version of the finished product. By visiting Celeb Heights you agree to its. For one: Decades before Shut up and dribble became a sociopolitical flashpoint, Walton was telling The New York Times In this society, they dont expect an athlete to speak for himself or to be able to lead his own life. Thats kind of a rule of thumb. The NBA playoffs begin Saturday, and an extra inch of reach can lead to a blocked shot or steal that might alter a series or a season. I think its something that makes a big difference, especially defensively, he said. Position: Center. He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. "If your wingspan is more than your height, that's kind of abnormal. Years before the Kevin Garnetts and Kevin Durants of the world began lying about their heights to make themselves seem smaller, Walton was reported to be 7-foot-2 but listed as 6-foot-11 [because] he didnt like the stigma of being a 7-footer. Walton didnt want to be chained to the block and forced into the same old dump it down and drop step monotony; he wanted to be free to explore the outer limits of both his skills and those of his teammates. Any time you think youre too small to make a difference in the world youve never spent the night alone in bed with a mosquito. He was right then; he blocked four or more shots four times in his first six NBA games, led the league in blocks three times, and still tops the all-time leaderboard in swats nearly 20 years after his retirement. But the damage was done: Hed only play 169 games between 1979 and 1985. The wingspan sure helps a lot of people, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . The NBA's Noches ne B A celebration starts in March, where teams will commemorate fans and players across Latin American and U.S. Hispanic communities. I was with the Boston Celtics when Russell came into the league, Lakers Coach Bill Sharman told the Los Angeles Times. But the biggest question about Harden remainsand it wont be answered until the playoffs. Grammy Award-winning singer John Mayer talks about the influence Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton has had on him during guest appearance on 'Throw It Down . Warriors 7-foot center JaVale McGee went through only a handful of pre-draft workouts for NBA teams, hardly a prized prospect after a career at Nevada. Its not how big you are, its how big you play. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasn't even aware of his wingspan. Happy Birthday Bill Walton: An Ode to the Tallest Deadhead. Its legit. He could score, too, but you could run your whole offense through him, and his basketball IQ was off the charts for a 7-footer., Maybe the most exciting thing about the idea of bringing a young Sabonis to the present day is that wed get to see what he wouldve looked like playing against elite opposition every night. Its no coincidence that Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who stands 7-1 and led the NBA in blocks last season, has the longest wingspan in the league at 7 feet, 9 inches. Bill Walton, byname of William Theodore Walton III, (born November 5, 1952, La Mesa, California, U.S.), American collegiate and professional basketball player who is considered one of the best all-around post players in the sport's history. Those who knew Walton the basketball player recognized him as a devastating force. Bill Walton, Former ABC/ESPN/NBC Basketball Announcer, NBA All-Star Basketball Player, UCLA All-American, and one of the fifty greatest players in NBA history, provides a place to meet and greet fans. The other end would be even more interesting. Over the past 10 seasons, the only center to match those averages on that combination of 3-point volume and accuracy is Karl-Anthony Towns. It cant buy happiness, and I just want to be happy., Many who knew Walton, including Wooden himself, felt the young center was too susceptible to fringe ideas. He wasnt just a lumbering giant, either: Chamberlain could sky to block shots and snare rebounds, and sprint the length of the court to fill the lane on the break. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. My name is Giannis Antetokounmpo., Career (470 games, 1995-2003): 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.1 blocks per game, 50.0% FG, 32.8% 3FG, 78.6% FT. By the time Sabonis finally came to the NBA in 1995, he was already 31 years old with a pair of ruptured Achilles tendons and a litany of leg and groin injuries rendering him a pale imitation of what he once was. Once he hit the other side of 30, thoughand once he got with George Karl, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, and the gang in SeattlePerkins started more aggressively stretching his game out to the perimeter, becoming one of the first full-fledged floor-spacing bigs in the game. I see opportunities that should be rejected, but it scores. When youre that big, you cant hide much. That is not the case for young players. Theres a lot of guys, Draymond (Green) is the same way, small, undersized power forward but can guard plenty of guys because of his length. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. Barton joins the Raptors after he was waived by the Wizards on Feb. 21. The NBA playoffs begin Saturday, and an extra inch of reach can lead to a blocked shot or steal that might alter a series or a season. Bill Walton owns a house in San Diego, California where he currently resides with his wife and 4 sons. Its also worth noting what led to the blossoming of Wilts playmaking in the late 60s: He reportedly wanted to dispel the notion that he was a selfish player. He was disruptive as hell, registering a block on more than 5 percent of his opponents 2-point tries and logging a steal on more than 2 percent of their offensive possessions; only six other players who have played at least 5,000 career minutes have done both. And theyre able to get their hands on balls or shots or loose balls. You make up a lot of ground. At one time, they were long enough, and I can still put my own shoes and socks on, he quipped. Raised in France, Gobert kept growing from ages 15-19. When he was healthy, Walton had few peers. In the midst of those broadcasting days, Walton was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. If your wingspan is more than your height, thats kind of abnormal. In the 1973 NCAA championship game against Memphis State, Walton made 21 of 22 shots and scored 44 points a performance considered by many to be the greatest ever in a Final Four game. What We Learned From Testing, and a Bahrain GP Preview, Succession Hall of Fame: Which Side Are You On?. TV Schedule Home Bio Walton Gallery Wooden News Speaking Grateful Dead Duane Roth Best of Recently Book List Latest News TV Schedule PDF Walton is in the Hall of Fame, but he never had his arms measured end to end. He was such a force down low that the NBA literally changed the rules, and the width of the lane, to mitigate his influence. Like all massive 5s, hed have to prove capable of defending in space and handling jitterbug guards on switches in the pick-and-roll. We've seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.". The former MVP has adapted and evolved to become an excellent conductor of Phillys offense. I think hed do just fine now, too. His arms are long and he can block shots. It's much more important than your height," Kerr said. There was no denying Waltons success in the media realm, though. He wanted to be loved more than anything else, and yet he was convinced that nobody loves Goliath.. The Trail Blazers lost the series in six games and the services of Walton forever. Theres a lot of guys, Draymond (Green) is the same way, small, undersized power forward but can guard plenty of guys because of his length. "You make up a lot of ground. Any time you think youre too small to make a difference in the world youve never spent the night alone in bed with a mosquito. I decided it might be cool to write about some of these players. 1 Pick, and QB Movement Updates With Jeff Darlington. They can control the basketball, they can do things with it. Foot problems limited Walton to only 35 games as a rookie and a meager 12.8 ppg. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Not until Nate McMillan began being fitted for custom-made suits a few years into his NBA career three decades ago did he understand just how far his arms reached. Those are my five, but theres always room for more time travelers, so lets hit a few honorable mentions: Vlade Divac (1989-2005): Bigs who can pass, forever and ever, amen. Once limited to descriptions of birds, wingspan has become one of the most important measurements for basketball prospects over the past decade. Of the career move, John Wooden observed to the Los Angeles Times, This just proves, you never know.. Walton appeared in 80 games in 1985-86, 13 more than his previous career high. And the league rewarded him with the NBA Sixth Man Award, won by McHale the previous two seasons. The Trail Blazers finished the season 58-24 and Walton received the NBA MVP award. Assuming an unfamiliar supporting role, the 33-year-old Walton was playing with the excitement of a college kid. 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