Bill Walton

“My life changed irrevocably four-and-a-half years ago when my spine failed and collapsed. I spent two years on the floor, in excruciating, debilitating and unrelenting pain. I can only descr...”

“Bill Russell was my favorite player of all-time.”

“I've had 36 orthopedic operations, have two fused ankles, my knees, hands and wrists don't work, I now have a fused spine, other than that, everything is great.”

“You don't win championships by just being normal, by just being average.”

“Life is easy when you're hot. But what happens when the ball bounces the other way? You just keep getting back up and climbing up.”

“But you have to understand, my beard is so nasty. I mean, it's the only beard in the history of Western civilization that makes Bob Dylan's beard look good.”

“I had the only beard in the Western Hemisphere that made Bob Dylan's look good.”

“At 49, I can say something I never would have said when I was a player, that I'm a better person because of my failures and disgraces.”

“I can think. I can sleep. I can move. I can ride my bike. I can dream.”

“My bike is my gym, my wheelchair and my church all in one. I'd like to ride my bike all day long but I've got this thing called a job that keeps getting in the way.”

“I lived to play basketball. Growing up as a kid, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics were my favorite team. The way they played, the teamwork, the sacrifice, the commitment, the joy, the cam...”

“Chick Hearn was my favorite broadcaster ever - he's the one who taught me to think basketball, how to love basketball.”

“Being a broadcaster encompasses the business of sport, which is my life today, and it encompasses the skills of being a history student, and the ability of being a performer.”

“The great thing about being a broadcaster is you have this incredible responsibility to the people that make it all happen, the people that turn on the television set.”

“The Grateful Dead, they're my best friends. Their message of hope, peace, love, teamwork, creativity, imagination, celebration, the dance, the vision, the purpose, the passion all of the thi...”

“When you are in unrelenting, excruciating and debilitating pain that never goes away for years on end, your life is over.”

“Well, we've made some changes on this tour. We're no longer sleeping in the parking lots and swimming in the fountains. We've been staying in hotels most of the way, though I will say some h...”

“Life is about growth. People are not perfect when they're 21 years old.”

“Without question, no hesitation, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the best player I ever played against.”

“I have nothing but respect for the Lakers. So many of their legends shaped who I am as a person and player.”