Legendary former Hall of Fame center Bill Walton, who reinvented himself as the Sixth Man of the Year for the 1985-86 Boston Celtics’ championship season among other immortal, tragically passed away of colorectal cancer on May 27, 2024.

The tribute came pouring in for the 6-foot-11 superstar.

Walton was something of a basketball comet — a revolutionary MVP superstar in his day, but not able to sustain his eye-popping output for long.

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After winning a pair of NCAA championships at UCLA, Walton was the No. 1 overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1974 NBA Draft. He quickly emerged as the next big man to beat in the league.

in his four healthy seasons with the Trail Blazers, the big man posted averages of 17.1 points on 51 percent shooting from the field and 67.4 percent free throw shooting, 13.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.0 steals a night. He was a two-time All-NBA honoree, a two-time All-Star and won MVP honors and a championship in that tenure.

Walton was eventually beset by foot injury issues. His run in Portland ended acrimoniously, and he demanded to be dealt to his hometown San Diego Clippers in the 1979 offseason.

Walton struggled with health issues for years, before finally emerging as the perfect complement to Boston superstars Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale. While playing 80 games for the 67-win Celtics, Walton averaged 7.6 points on 56.2 percent shooting from the floor and 71.3 percent shooting from the free throw line, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.5 steals a night in 1985-86, en route to his second title.

He was healthy for just 10 games the following season, and eventually called it a career in 1990 after failing to ever recuperate.

Per J.P. Hoornstra of The Big Lead, a press release from Hunt Auctions has revealed that several artifacts from Walton’s storied career are set to be bid on during an online auction this June.

Those items include:

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It’s somewhat surprising that all of these key items are being auctioned off. Walton leaves behind his widow, Lori, and four sons.

“We are pleased to be presenting this offering of Bill’s memorabilia to his many fans,” Lori Walton said in a statement, per ABC 10 News San Diego. “Bill’s career within the game of basketball spanned over five decades and through that time, he was always so appreciative of the fans and people that supported him from his college days at UCLA through the NBA cities of Portland, San Diego, Los Angeles and Boston.”

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