Fittingly, my favorite Bill Walton encounter involved only his voice.
It was in October 2000, the day before John Wooden’s 90th birthday. I was visiting with Coach in his modest Encino condo when the phone rang and the answering machine picked up.
Suddenly the room was filled with a familiar deep and gravelly singing from across the globe.
“Happy birthday to you ... happy birthday to you ... happy birthday from Australia...”
Wooden smiled.
“Oh, that’s Bill Walton,” he said.
Bill Walton, UCLA legend, NBA star and Pac-12 advocate, dies at age 71
1 hour ago
The song ended, but Walton was just getting started.