Surprisingly, my favorite Bill Walton meeting featured merely his voice.
It was October 2000, the day before John Wooden turned 90. I was visiting Coach in his tiny Encino condo when the phone rang and the answering machine came on.
Suddenly, the room was filled with familiar deep and gravelly singing from around the world.
“Happy birthday to you … happy birthday to you … happy birthday from Australia…”
Wooden smiled.
“Oh, that’s Bill Walton,” he announced.
The music ended, but Walton was only getting started. Still on the answering machine, just a voice emanating from a box, he began describing the weather, his trip, and other mundane topics until it became clear that he wasn’t making small conversation.
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SPORTS: We appreciate Bill Walton’s compassion and wacky personality.
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John R. Wooden, right, embraces his former player Bill Walton.
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John R. Wooden, right, embraces his former star player, Bill Walton, following a game at the John R. Wooden Classic in Anaheim on December 9, 2006. Walton died on Monday, aged 71.(Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press)
By Bill Plaschke, Columnist.
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Interestingly, my best Bill Walton meeting involved merely his voice.
It was October 2000, the day before John Wooden turned 90. I was visiting Coach in his small Encino condo, when the
Their chat concluded fifteen minutes later, when Wooden hung up the phone, returned to his chair, and explained.
“Bill calls me twice a week, and I love talking to him,” he continued, still smiling. “Although, it is safe to say, I don’t do much of the talking.”
Bill Walton, a perennially kind and truly quirky soul, died on Monday at the age of 71, leaving the sports world a notably diminished place.
