Obama honors Bill Walton: ‘Champion at every level’

Former President Obama honored basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who died Monday from cancer at 71 years old.

“Bill Walton was one of the greatest basketball players of all time — a champion at every level and the embodiment of unselfish team play,” Obama wrote in a statement on the social platform X.

“He was also a wonderful spirit full of curiosity, humor and kindness. We are poorer for his passing, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family,” he added.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced Walton’s death Monday, on behalf of his family.

Walton was a two-time NCAA champion at UCLA, a two-time champion in the NBA and a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. He was the NBA MVP in the 1977-78 season, the league’s sixth man of the year in 1985-86 and a member of the league’s 50th anniversary and 75th anniversary teams. He was a three-time national player of the year at UCLA.

After a number of injuries, Walton transitioned into broadcasting, winning an Emmy Award for his work. He was also named one of the top 50 sports broadcasters of all time by the American Sportscasters Association.

The tributes poured in Monday, following news of Walton’s death. The Associated Press called him “one of the game’s most beloved figures.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was “truly one of a kind.”

“I am sad today hearing that my comrade and one of the sports world’s most beloved champions and characters has passed,” Julius “Dr. J” Erving, a fellow Hall of Famer, wrote on social media. “Bill Walton enjoyed life in every way. To compete against him and to work with him was a blessing in my life.”

The Associated Press contributed.