By every measure, Bill Walton was enormously successful , among the most decorated players in the history of college basketball and the NBA. But Walton had a different definition for personal success, one derived from the teachings of John Wooden , his legendary coach at UCLA . “The last lesson of life that John Wooden taught us was the measurement of success,” Walton said three years ago, “which he described — and now I comprehend and buy into — is success is the peace of mind that comes with the self-satisfaction of knowing that you’ve done your best.
“It’s really easy to say that, but incredibly hard to accept it, embrace it and believe it.” Walton, the three-time national college player of the year who went on to win two NBA championships, died of complications from cancer Monday at his home in San Diego. He was 71.
I was interviewing Walton as part of a 2021 story about the San Diego Padres and their hopes in emerging from the long shadow of the Dodgers. I spoke to a lot of San Diegans, among them Walton and filmmaker Cameron Crowe , about their love of the city and its sports teams. Walton spoke at length about the Padres, the Chargers and his memories of growing up in La Mesa.
He had deep affection for Los Angeles too, having won two national championships — and three national college player-of-the-year awards — with the Bruins. What’s more, his son, Luke, played for and coached the Lakers . “I don’t live in a qualitative, binary-decision-ma.
