Bill Walton

Bill Walton is a basketball hall-of-famer, an Emmy Award winner for best live sports television broadcast, an eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF® ) patient, and a spokesman for NuVasive® and The Better Way Back® program.

Mr. Walton played center for John Wooden’s UCLA varsity team for three seasons (1972-1974), after a year with the freshman team in 1971. He was a member of two NCAA championship teams compiling an NCAA-record 88 consecutive-game winning streak. He is a three-time recipient of the NCAA Player of the Year Award (1972, ’73 and ’74), a 3 time All-American College Player, and winner of the Sullivan Award for the United States Best Amateur Athlete of 1973. He was named to the Pacific 8 All-Conference first team 3 times and was Conference Player of the Year for 3 consecutive years. At UCLA, Walton was a scholar-athlete who also earned Academic All-American honors three years in a row. He graduated with honors with a B.A. in history.

Walton’s professional career began when he was the number one overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers. He was a member of their championship team in 1977. Nine years later Walton earned another championship title, this time with the Boston Celtics in 1986. He played with the Trailblazers from 1974-1979, the San Diego Clippers from 1979-1984, the relocated Los Angeles Clippers in 1985, and The Boston Celtics from 1985-1988.

After suffering from debilitating back pain for over thirty years, Walton underwent the minimally disruptive XLIF procedure, performed by Dr. Steve Garfin, chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of California, San Diego. Walton’s personal understanding of the importance of life-changing back surgery is invaluable to pursuing the mission of the NuVasive Spine Foundation.