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[Saba Sports News] Kareem Abdul-Jabbar issued a statement on Monday regarding the death of fellow UCLA Bruins legend Bill Walton. Walton passed away at 71 after a long battle with prostate cancer. Before his NBA career, Walton was a dominant center at UCLA, leading the Bruins to two national championships (1972 and 1973) and an 88-game winning streak, earning national player of the year three times.
Walton followed in the footsteps of Abdul-Jabbar, who led UCLA to three straight national championships and won national player of the year from 1967-1969. Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, also won the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award three times.
In his statement, Abdul-Jabbar called Walton his “very close friend.” He said, “My very close friend, fellow Bruin, and NBA rival Bill Walton died today. The world feels so much heavier now. On the court, Bill was a fierce player, but off the court, he wasn’t happy unless he did everything he could to make everyone around him happy. He was the best of us.”
Although they were NBA rivals—Abdul-Jabbar with the Bucks and Lakers and Walton with the Trail Blazers, Clippers, and Celtics—they shared a legacy at UCLA. Together, they won five NCAA championships under coach John Wooden and are regarded as two of the greatest college basketball players ever.