You guessed it: The one who turned the 1984 draft into prom night. Which Chicago mayoral candidate received the most votes in your ward? The explosive Russell Westbrook is 6-3, with a wingspan of 6-8, which helps him be one of the best rebounding guards in history. Sam Perkins (1984-2001): Heres that protostretch-5 you ordered: Big Smooth could shoot from deep in the first part of his careerjust ask the Bullsbut he rarely did, attempting only 352 triples during his first eight seasons and barely making a quarter of them. Whether he could stay nimble enough to meet that kind of challenge would go a long way toward determining how effective hed beand how much damage he could do on the other end. Bill's full name is William Theodore Walton. Walton inducted himself About Us A lot of basketball players dont, though, they have wider wingspans. 1 Pick, and QB Movement Updates With Jeff Darlington. The wingspan sure helps a lot of people," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Tuesday night's 10 game slate. In recent seasons, Warriors high-scoring All-Star Kevin Durant has become more determined to use his 7-5 wingspan to make more of an impact on defense. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. I was born tall, he said. (The arrangement was not unprecedented; Elgin Baylor squeezed in a game a week for the Lakers in 1962 while serving in the Army Reserve.) Though remembered by many for a career plagued by injuries and a personal life spiced by controversy, Bill Walton won high praise from players and coaches alike during his checkered career. Plus, a Salt Lake City Recap. Neither knew their wingspans then, and they still don't. That reaction underlines another reason Id love to see him now: Hed be an unbelievably alluring subject for modern media coveragea larger-than-life character whose outsize public figure would be rivaled only by his raw-nerve sensitivity. Bill Walton, Former ABC/ESPN/NBC Basketball Announcer, NBA All-Star Basketball Player, UCLA All-American, and one of the fifty greatest players in NBA history, provides a place to meet and greet fans. Inspired by rule changes that allowed for zone defenses, easier double-teams, and more effective swarms of players holding the ball in the post, the game has moved away from just dumping the ball down to your big man on the block and letting him cook. His old national teammate Sarunas Marciulionis emphasized in Basketball: A Love Story that Sabonis hadnt yet fully developed his face-up game, his 3-point shot, or his court vision before playing in Spain following the 88 Olympics, so a younger model wouldnt necessarily have resembled a more explosive version of the finished product. John Mayer on Walton's mentorship. He even broke a toe on a water sprinkler and hurt his leg in a jeep accident. Position: Center. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. I was born tall, he said. Walton had a bulging medical file before he even reached collegehe suffered multiple lower leg fractures and underwent knee surgery while still in high schooland struggled through broken bones in his spine and knee tendinitis at UCLA, resulting in another knee surgery before he joined the Blazers. With the arrival of Ramsay from the Buffalo Braves, the Blazers built a precision offense around playmaker Lionel Hollins and the awesome frontcourt of Walton and intimidating Maurice Lucas. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Its no coincidence that Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who stands 7-1 and led the NBA in blocks last season, has the longest wingspan in the league at 7 feet, 9 inches. Walton is in the Hall of Fame, but he never had his arms measured end to end. That is not the case for young players. (Walton later sued the team; the case was settled out of court.). In 2012, he became a college basketball analyst for Pac-12 games on ESPN. During the season he was hampered only by a broken nose, the 13th of his 13-year career. He had the athleticism of Kareem, and he could shoot the 3-point shot. Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. Theres a lot of guys, Draymond (Green) is the same way, small, undersized power forward but can guard plenty of guys because of his length. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. In this blog, we will give the details about How tall is Bill Walton? But Walton can do it all.. If youre wondering what it might look like, the Big Baryshnikov has a comp handy. Look at John Stockton's arms or Avery Johnson's arms and they're very long, and their hands are very big. Walton received a minute-long standing ovation from the Boston Garden crowd after walking onto the parquet floor at his first exhibition game. In recent seasons, Warriors high-scoring All-Star Kevin Durant has become more determined to use his 7-5 wingspan to make more of an impact on defense. The former MVP has adapted and evolved to become an excellent conductor of Phillys offense. But dozens of injuries, most infamously a chronically broken bone in his left foot, robbed Walton of the storybook career that seemed sure to be his. West only stood 6'2 which would make his wingspan 9.5% greater than his height. He is also one of the greatest college . The wingspan sure helps a lot of people, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . Durant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP , is quick to point out that his length allows him to make up for other areas, including being far leaner than most NBA players. You make up a lot of ground. He cut his hair, started eating meat again, stopped hanging out with Jack Scott, trimmed his Lincoln-esque beard, and tried to mend fences with the press. At his peak he averaged 18.6/14.4/3.6 with 52% shooting and was the best player on a championship team. K.C. But when you have the great game of basketball with all the ultimate winners of the genetic lottery its not how high you jump, its where you are and when you jump.. Neither knew their wingspans then, and they still dont. Today, a prep prospect with Chamberlains physical attributes and skill would probably be given the green light to create at an early age, sanding off some of the rough edges in his ball handling and footwork. From 2005, when he became a full-time starter for Jerry Sloan, through 2010, when he suffered the ruptured left Achilles tendon that would effectively end his career, Okur shot 38.7 percent from 3-point range on 3.7 attempts per 36 minutes; put him alongside a pick-and-roll maestro point guard now, and hed likely double that. A contemporary Walton would be free to act as the rising tide to lift all boats, to invert the offense and sling the ball around to the open man, and to hunt playmaking opportunities at least as often as he did his own shot. In the book Basketball: A Love Story, Olajuwon describes the first time he saw an NBA game. Chamberlain essentially wrote the scoring record books of his era, using his physical dominance to overpower nearly every opponent he faced. That would be pretty rad, because Orlando Shaq could fuckin move, man: Maintaining that staggering combination of power and quickness would be critical for a modern-day ONeal. When it comes to Arizona, he prefers to refer to the Wildcats as "the kitties." He played more than 70 games only once in 14 seasonsin the 1985-86 season, when he made 80 appearances as a reserve for the Celtics, winning Sixth Man of the Year on one of the greatest teams of all time. Years before the Kevin Garnetts and Kevin Durants of the world began lying about their heights to make themselves seem smaller, Walton was reported to be 7-foot-2 but listed as 6-foot-11 [because] he didnt like the stigma of being a 7-footer. Walton didnt want to be chained to the block and forced into the same old dump it down and drop step monotony; he wanted to be free to explore the outer limits of both his skills and those of his teammates. Warriors 7-foot center JaVale McGee went through only a handful of pre-draft workouts for NBA teams, hardly a prized prospect after a career at Nevada. But when he was right man, was he right: At his peakthe 1976-77 season in which the Blazers won the title, and the 1977-78 campaign in which Portland was 50-10 when Walton broke his foot (he won MVP that year despite missing the final 22 games)Walton averaged 24.9 points, 18.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 blocks per 100 possessions. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. And theyre able to get their hands on balls or shots or loose balls. A half-century ago, Pink Floyd unleashed a classic that still lingers on the Billboard charts and in college dorms to this day. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Give a young Wilt a steady diet of reps as a creator in the half court and more space to work with, and who knows what alternate pathways to dominance might open? In 1976-77, with Walton peaking, Blazermania hit Portland like a flash flood. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Not until Nate McMillan began being fitted for custom-made suits a few years into his NBA career three decades ago did he understand just how far his arms reached. Decades before Shaquille ONeal ripped mics with Fu-Schnickens, the Dipper was out here crooning, dog. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. A fan of the Grateful Dead, the young Walton was a vegetarian, wore flannel shirts and multicolored headbands and toted his gym clothes in an onion bag. After years of trying and failing to conquer his free throw shooting demons, Chamberlain found success with underhand, granny-style shootinghe went 28-for-32 from the line that way in his 100-point gameonly to give it up because he felt like a sissy. He wanted to be cool, tall, vulnerable, and luscious, and he couldnt hide it. Height 6'11" (210cm) Wingspan 7'3" (220cm) Weight 210 lbs (95 kg) Team Portland Trail Blazers. Youre able to deflect the pass or block shots.. "At one time, they were long enough, and I can still put my own shoes and socks on," he quipped. I'm not as fast laterally, I'm not as athletic, I'm not as quick as guys up and down but I think I make up for it with my length," said Durant, a defensive player of the year candidate. Im not as fast laterally, Im not as athletic, Im not as quick as guys up and down but I think I make up for it with my length, said Durant, a defensive player of the year candidate. The operation worked. You look at size of hands, wingspans. I think hed do just fine now, too. He also set a career high with a .562 field-goal percentage. I see people, they drive to the basket, I say, I must be missing something. (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. (1) takes the ball to the hoop, as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends, in NBA action between Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018. Bill Walton was a lifelong stutterer until receiving some speech tips and guidance from Hall of Fame broadcaster and Syracuse University track legend Marty Glickman. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Coaches marvel at players with long arms, figuring they will more easily grab rebounds, block shots, steal passes and shoot over defenders. In an article in the Boston Herald, McHale said of Walton: You watch an old, old guy like that, with the most hammered body in sports, acting like a high school kid its both funny and inspiring at the same time. The statistical record is just unfathomable: 37.6 points and 27 rebounds per game as a rookie; 50.4 points in 48.5 minutes per game in 1961-62, headlined by the 100-point performance that still stands as the highest-scoring game in history; the most 40- and 50-point games ever, as well as the longest streaks of 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-point games; basically every major rebounding mark in existence; etc. Wingspan is one detail Warriors coach Steve Kerr takes seriously and might consider when deciding on lineups and rotations for the defending champions. He left the game with 6,215 points (13.3 ppg), 4,923 rebounds (10.5 rpg), and a .521 shooting percentage in 468 regular-season contests. Chamberlains monstrous numbers would surely come down in a modern context, if for no other reason than he wouldnt have as many chances to pile them up. The other? Please enter a valid email and try again. He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. If somebodys short, hopefully theyre quick. He was such a force down low that the NBA literally changed the rules, and the width of the lane, to mitigate his influence. You make up a lot of ground. Its no coincidence that Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who stands 7-1 and led the NBA in blocks last season, has the longest wingspan in the league at 7 feet, 9 inches. Any time you think youre too small to make a difference in the world youve never spent the night alone in bed with a mosquito. A lot of basketball players don't, though, they have wider wingspans. Ive always been tall. The Walton-led Blazers rampaged through their first 60 games with a 50-10 record. Chamberlain experienced fabulous success playing one way, fielded criticism from fans and pundits over it, and then just decided to play an entirely different way to prove a point. Beginning with college games, with his outspoken nature fully blossomed, he became one of the best in the NBA. The controversies that had embroiled Walton up to this point were mild compared to what would follow. Its nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, theyre like, Wed like to measure your wingspan. They dont really bring it up to us about that in college or high school.. Yeah, I found that out once I bought my first suit, the 6-foot-5 McMillan, a 12-year pro now coaching the Pacers, said with a chuckle, realizing his arms stretched more than 3 feet each. Basketball was a sport where under optimal conditions a great player with considerable ego disciplined himself and became unselfish. (Walton had his share of ego too. Many Clippers were outraged at the price the team had to pay to acquire the injury-plagued, 26-year-old Walton: forward Kermit Washington, center Kevin Kunnert, a first-round draft pick and $350,000. Walton won 1 MVP Award, was selected to play in 2 All-Star Games, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1993. When I think of Shaqs playing days, I immediately flash to the version that dominated in Los Angeles in the late 90s and early aughts. Outside of a select few scorers who still get a bunch of low-block touches, like Joel Embiid or LaMarcus Aldridge, post-ups these days are more often a vehicle for creating catch-and-shoot 3s, or a way to attack mismatches when defenses switch themselves into a mouse in the house situation, than a main feature of an attack. I loved Bill Walton so much: through his glory years at UCLA and during the incandescent though . The NBA playoffs begin Saturday, and an extra inch of reach can lead to a blocked shot or steal that might alter a series or a season. Extremely intelligent but besides that, he has tremendous basketball instinct.. His arms are long and he can block shots. "I think it's something that makes a big difference, especially defensively," he said. In his prime, Hakeem seemed capable of covering half the court by himself, assessing threats and snuffing them out with unnerving efficiency. As Lakers teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Jerry West put it in his autobiography, West by West: Wilt was very self-conscious about his size and strength and he was reluctant to be viewed as a villain. He didn't often hear the term wingspan, finally understanding how special his measurement is when he got to the NBA. Durant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP , is quick to point out that his length allows him to make up for other areas, including being far leaner than most NBA players. Despite the late-season injury, Walton earned the NBA MVP award. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. He didnt often hear the term wingspan, finally understanding how special his measurement is when he got to the NBA. From Wilt the Stilt to Hakeem the Dream, we pay homage to the big men who ruled their erasbut would have been even more fun in this one. Top NBA Duos, Bears No. The irony was not lost on many in the media, who 15 years earlier had grown to dislike the ornery version of the man who was now their compatriot. > Archive 75: Bill Walton| 75 Stories: Bill Walton. And the league rewarded him with the NBA Sixth Man Award, won by McHale the previous two seasons. How Tall Is Bill Walton? Theres a lot of guys, Draymond (Green) is the same way, small, undersized power forward but can guard plenty of guys because of his length. 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