Podcast: Bill Walton Speaks

I learned more than a few things today about Bill Walton. Things I never would have expected. I learned that for all he did for the Trail Blazers and the city of Portland, he still feels a great deal of shame and regret for the way things ultimately turned out. I learned that he suffered through such intense physical pain that at one point he was more afraid of living than dying. I learned that in 1990 he still had serious aspirations of playing in the NBA.

But this wasn't my first time talking to Bill Walton, so I was already aware of something other members of the media probably weren't, which is this: You don't interview Bill Walton. Oh sure, you can ask questions, but Bill is going to talk on his own terms. He's got stories on top of stories, and he's going to tell those stories. He'll talk about lifting weights in his garage with The Grateful Dead blaring through the speakers or about getting thrown from his bike thanks to a wayward skateboarder. He'll liken Maurice Lucas to Mt. Hood. He'll call the Lakers the "Fakers." He'll talk about a father's pride and of the weather in San Diego. If what he says pertains to your inquiry, great. If not, oh well. He's Bill Walton.

Below is the totality of Walton's remarks to the media today. You can't hear the questions that are being asked, but don't worry, those questions are quite inconsequential to what Bill says.



Download the interview (43 MB)