The story of Mullin’s bike ride to Walton Hawaii shows the joy the legend exuded originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Bill Walton was to travel the planet Earth and, oh, he explored it, his walk guided not by a compass but by his conscience. When walking was too painful or restrictive, he happily propped his 6-foot-11, 230-pound frame aboard his bike in search of sights he hadn’t yet seen and friends he hadn’t yet. had not yet met. He could ride alone. It was even better if there was company.
Such was the case on Thanksgiving Day 2015, when Bill – he urged everyone to call him “Bill” – was joined in Hawaii by his friend and fellow Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Chris Mullin.
Mullin, a coach at St. John’s University at the time, was in Hawaii for the annual Maui Invitational basketball tournament. Bill, assigned as color commentator on some of the games, invited Mullin on a bike ride to the island. They had driven several times before, in the Bay Area. Mullin, unaware of the challenge ahead, accepted.
Bill had a friend at a local bike shop because, well, he had friends everywhere he went. This friend set Mullin up with a bike and the necessary equipment. He was ready when he met Bill on Thanksgiving morning. They hopped on their bikes and made a path through the lush landscape.
“We were out for seven hours, man – seven hours,” Mullin recalled Tuesday. “We went everywhere. He knew exactly where he was going. We got off the highway, up into the mountains, down to the ocean.
“I got up and had a coffee before going out. We ate trail mix along the way, and that was all we had. I didn’t know how long we’d be gone, but here we are and I’m like, ‘I’m just following you, big guy.’ But on the way back my quads started cramping and I’m starving and starting to lose them.
“We arrive at this lovely gated community that’s right on the beach. I’m Bill. There are all these beautiful houses by the ocean. It’s Thanksgiving and there’s a family on the lawn. They recognize Bill, then they recognize me. So we stop and start talking with them.
After delivering Thanksgiving wishes and other pleasantries, Bill asked his buddies if they had carved the turkey. This was not the case.
“Bill says, ‘Well why don’t we carve the turkey because my partner here is starving,'” Mullin said. “And sure enough, the guy came in and came out with a plate of turkey and everything. We ate then continued on our way.
“It was days like that with Bill. That day, it was just him and me all day. Looking back, I was so glad I did it too. We were there for the tournament, but it was our day off. Spending this day with him like this is special.
Bill died on Memorial Day, surrounded by his family, at the age of 71. Cancer, ever relentless and unforgiving, had extinguished one of the brightest lights in human history.
What remains are the memories that will keep Bill’s friends, and there must be millions of them, smiling, laughing and sometimes crying for the rest of their lives. They relived moments because almost all of them were warm. For all his wonderful basketball skills – he was, when healthy, the Nikola Jokic of his era – exuding personal warmth was Bill’s greatest gift.
“He was a legend,” Mullin said. “We talk about Larry Bird, but Bill was Larry Bird’s idol. A legendary figure in the world of basketball.
“But he transcended that with his humility. He was warm and kind and always welcoming to people. That’s who he was. Bill was always thinking about how he could help others, whether in the biggest or smallest way.
Mullin’s relationship with Bill dates back to their playing days. Mullin’s rookie season, 1985-86, was Bill’s last full season with the Boston Celtics. Injuries limited Bill to 10 games the following season, and he was sidelined for the entire 1987-88 season before retiring that summer.
Retirement gave Bill more time to devote to the causes he cared about. Family. Political problems. Social justice. Equality. Legalize marijuana. Grateful Dead concerts. And, of course, adding to his collection of “buddies” around the world.
When former Warriors Sarunas Marciulionis was trying to help finance the Lithuanian basketball team for the 1992 edition, Bill got involved by offering to collect tie-dye T-shirts – always plentiful at shows from the Grateful Dead – to contribute to this effort.
“He said, ‘Maybe we could sell tie-dye T-shirts and raise some money,'” Mullin recalled. “Not only did they raise money, but they also financed the entire Olympic team. (Team Lithuania) wore the T-shirts on the medal stand.
“Being like that, all the time, is why so many people have such fond memories of Bill. Everyone will miss him because he was so genuine.
Every time I met Bill, the lyrics of John Lennon’s deep, plaintive classic, “Imagine” would come to mind and stay there for the rest of the day.
Because Bill seemed to be experiencing the wonderful world that Lennon visualized. A place in which conflicts and class/cultural struggles are replaced by world peace, unconditional love and pure humanity. A place without borders or greed.
One planet, one community.
“Imagine all the people living for today. Imagine all the people living in peace. Imagine all the people, sharing everyone. I hope one day you will join us and the world will live as one. »
Nothing stopped Bill from living a joyful life to the fullest. Not dozens of operations. Not having been arrested for participating in an anti-war demonstration. Not the limits we sometimes impose on ourselves as humans.
Bill Walton was the best of us. If we could all live in his world, this place would be infinitely better.
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