Bill Waltonfeels things more intensely than just about any human being on the planet.
That goes for the past, too.
Worst game ever, he tells me.
Bill Walton in ‘The Luckiest Guy in the World’ESPN
And Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps, architect of that upset?
The devil, Walton declares, with just a hint of humor.
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Its not like, for him, the game feels like it was yesterday.
UCLA Bruins’ Bill Walton on the cover of The Sporting News February 23, 1974.Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images
Its like it ended 10 minutes ago.
Like Walton just walked off the court.
The title comes from something Walton is fond of saying about himself, often.
The first two episodes of the series premiered at SXSW on Wednesday.
ESPN approached me, James says as we chat in a lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin.
I dont know his side of the story.
They approached me too, said they want to do this, Walton shares.
Im not a self-promoter.
Im not looking for attention.
I like to do my job.
I like to work.
They asked me, and then they said, Steve James, and I knewHoop Dreams.
I didnt know the other stuff.
And the more I looked the more I liked.
I grew up watching him play.
And based on that, I was like, yeah, Id love to do it.
I had to fly to San Diego and audition, kinda.
Walton corrects, To introduce yourself.
They do a lot of correcting of each other, subject and director, lightheartedly.
Despite being very tall themselves, neither Ted nor Gloria got into basketball, or sports of any kind.
But from a relatively young age their son Bill excelled on the court.
His greatest hurdle wasnt basketball but just articulating himself.
A stutter left him with an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.
I just wish that I had learned how to speak at a lot earlier age.
Nothing has changed my life more than learning how to speak.
Its my greatest accomplishment, and your worst nightmare.
And, certainly, Steve Jamess worst nightmare, he jokes.
More seriously, he adds, I identify with everyone who faces struggles, challenges.
And when youre a stutterer, it completely changes your life.
Because youre constantly embarrassed and reluctant and ashamed.
And you have to learn to overcome it.
I am no longer ashamed about being a stutterer.
Im no longer self-conscious about being a stutterer.
Even before he reached college, Walton had suffered significant injuries.
Some fans, but more importantly the teams management, didnt believe he was truly injured.
He got branded as a malingerer.
That was very difficult, Walton says.
It is still difficult to this day.
There was even a time doctors thought his feet might need to be amputated.
If only the body hadnt betrayed him.
The number of coaches who were fired because I couldnt play is staggering, he says with deep feeling.
Its a lot to carry on your shoulders, I assure him.
Indelible stains and stigmas.
