Yet each visit he made, among the first things measured was his wingspan, 7-6. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, Kia Rookie Ladder: State of chase after All-Star, NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer Wednesday 3/1, How the Spurs celebrated Black Heritage Night, NBA set to celebrate Noches neBA program, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays and strategy for Feb. 28. And he was cocky, even to the Trail Blazers coaching staff. 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. I think hed do just fine now, too. Between 1993 and 2001, he fired up 5.0 long balls per 36 minutes of floor time, and cashed them in at a cool 38.2 percent clip. Most of us have the same wingspan as our height. Walton also used the time off to attend Stanford law school. That is not the case for young players. Its like you went through MyCareer in NBA 2K and decided to never let any teammates rack up a single box score statisticonly it actually happened in real life, and it went on for about a decade and a half. "You make up a lot of ground. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. He didn't often hear the term wingspan, finally understanding how special his measurement is when he got to the NBA. 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. At one time, they were long enough, and I can still put my own shoes and socks on, he quipped. Im a big believer in that., Donate to the newsroom now. Its possible. He claimed to be around the 6ft 11 mark, and on his twitter in 2015 still saying "I am 6'11"" .. "I love it now.it took me a while to get used to standing out in the crowd, looking awkward, feeling uncomfortable. When he was healthy, Walton had few peers. 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. How Tall Is Bill Walton?- Bill Walton is an American sportscaster and former professional retired basketball player. Walton is a 3 time All-America College Player and winner of the Sullivan Award for the United States Best Amateur Athlete of 1973. 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. 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. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Not until Nate McMillan began being fitted for custom-made suits a few years into his . Wingspan. Its also worth noting what led to the blossoming of Wilts playmaking in the late 60s: He reportedly wanted to dispel the notion that he was a selfish player. Fewer possessions means fewer shots, rebounds, assists, and block opportunities to go around. His arms are long and he can block shots. He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. A wingspan always helps people, whether its blocking shots or deflections on defense.. You remember him: the irresistible force who tipped the scales after adding all that bulk to withstand the legions of Hack-a-Shaq implementers, the immovable object whom noted giant Yao Ming described in 2003 as like a meat wall, and the mountainous MVP who Juggernauted his way through the league to the tune of 27-and-12 on 57.5 percent shooting for a smooth eight years. "It's nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, they're like, 'We'd like to measure your wingspan.' 3x NCAA All-Tourney. Wingspan is one detail Warriors coach Steve Kerr takes seriously and might consider when deciding on lineups and rotations for the defending champions. Bill's full name is William Theodore Walton. I was born tall, he said. Walton appeared in 80 games in 1985-86, 13 more than his previous career high. Former American Basketball Player. 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.. Bill Walton III. That could work against ONeal, who famously struggled from the stripe, shooting just 52.7 percent for his career; but a half-decade after the institution of new rules aimed at reducing intentional fouling to improve game flow, it might not be quite as big an issue as you might think. Decades before Shaquille ONeal ripped mics with Fu-Schnickens, the Dipper was out here crooning, dog. In fairness, though, ONeal absolutely could be the sort of force worthy of a steady diet of post entries. After achieving superstardom playing for John Woodens powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early 70s and winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, Walton was destined to become an NBA legend. Which Chicago mayoral candidate received the most votes in your ward? And theyre able to get their hands on balls or shots or loose balls. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasnt even aware of his wingspan. Wingspan is one detail Warriors coach Steve Kerr takes seriously and might consider when deciding on lineups and rotations for the defending champions. 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. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our, Man fatally injured when SUV falls on top of him near Gages Lake, Antioch officials want to focus on plans rather than gender-identity debate; This is a distraction from getting these projects completed. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. Whats legacy, anyway? Foot problems limited Walton to only 35 games as a rookie and a meager 12.8 ppg. Chances are, Chris Ballard wrote in his excellent book The Art of a Beautiful Game, the mobile big man and sweet-shooting 7-footer could have emerged at an earlier time in the games history if players had been given the opportunity. Well, friends: Let us, one last time, use our collective powers of imagination to grant that opportunity. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. He stayed in shape by playing beach volleyball and tennis and by cycling sometimes with Grateful Dead drummer and close friend Mickey Hart. Youre able to deflect the pass or block shots.. Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. The Trail Blazers lost the series in six games and the services of Walton forever. Everything else is said for me or explained to me, right? Seems like our man Bill wouldve made for an interesting podcast guest! A wingspan always helps people, whether its blocking shots or deflections on defense.. Over the past 10 seasons, the only center to match those averages on that combination of 3-point volume and accuracy is Karl-Anthony Towns. 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 defence. With one of the strongest lineups in NBA history, Boston steamrolled through the regular season, compiling a 67-15 record. Wilt Chamberlain was a great offensive player, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Waltons coach in Portland, told Sport magazine. Its much more important than your height, Kerr said. 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. It's much more important than your height," Kerr said. What We Learned From Testing, and a Bahrain GP Preview, Succession Hall of Fame: Which Side Are You On?. Its much more important than your height, Kerr said. )told Grantlands Jonathan Abrams back in 2011, [Sabonis] could do everything. Center Bill Walton played 10 seasons for 3 teams. 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. After Game 2, X-rays showed that the navicular bone below Waltons left ankle was broken. Look at John Stocktons arms or Avery Johnsons arms and theyre very long, and their hands are very big. The other end would be even more interesting. That might seem like a bit of an exaggeration: After all, Sabonis still starred in the States, averaging a double-double in Year 3, posting a player efficiency rating over 20 in six of his seven NBA seasons, and playing an integral role on Trail Blazers teams that went to consecutive Western Conference finals, including one that came within a hellacious fourth-quarter comeback of beating Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers in 2000. Once limited to descriptions of birds, wingspan has become one of the most important measurements for basketball prospects over the past decade. Look at John Stocktons arms or Avery Johnsons arms and theyre very long, and their hands are very big. Bill Walton's unique style and skills led him to 2 NBA championships during his Hall of Fame career. Walton once again had the chance to play for a world champion, and his childhood hopes of playing for the Celtics were realized. People followed him on Twitter. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is nicknamed the Greek Freak in part because he stands 6-11 with a 7-3 wingspan and giant hands. Ive always been tall. They can control the basketball, they can do things with it. Once he hit the other side of 30, thoughand once he got with George Karl, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, and the gang in SeattlePerkins started more aggressively stretching his game out to the perimeter, becoming one of the first full-fledged floor-spacing bigs in the game. You look at size of hands, wingspans. Walton signed a then-record seven-year, $7 million contract to play with the Clippers, who had played just over .500 ball the year before. In the midst of those broadcasting days, Walton was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. (Im thinking of Channing Frye, but by all means, insert your preferred end-of-the-rotation stretch big here.) The wingspan sure helps a lot of people, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . 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. 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. Walton played in 55 games in 1983-84 and 67 in 1984-85, while the Clippers won 30 and 31 games, respectively. It's 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. Finally, there is Johnny Kerr, who was . He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. In 1991, Walton won a Sports Emmy for best live television sports telecast and was named one of the top 50 sports broadcasters of all-time by the American Sportscaster Association in 2009. 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