Family backs plan to honor Bill Walton in hometown of La Mesa and near Balboa Park
The late Bill Walton gets ready to do the color commentary for ESPN before the Kansas Jayhawks met the Chaminade Silverswords during the first round of the Allstate Maui Invitational on Nov at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu Hawaii File photo by Brian Spurlock Icon Sportswire Family members of the late Bill Walton on Wednesday informed twin proposals to rename a street in San Diego and create a memorial in La Mesa to honor the basketball legend Walton the basketball great from La Mesa died in at the age of The proposals which activist Shane Harris will send to the respective cities were unveiled on what would have been the Hall of Famer s rd birthday They call for San Diego to rename a portion of Park Boulevard between Upas Street and Zoo Drive a stretch that runs along the edge of Balboa Park where Walton frequently cycled Honorary Bill Walton Way La Mesa to expand Walton s Walk of Fame display and create a Bill Walton Square or Bill Walton Corner near Helix High School where his basketball journey began His wife Lori thanked those gathered on Zoo Drive Wednesday for remembering her late husband Bill gave so much of himself to this city because it gave so much to him Our family is humbled and deeply moved by this outpouring of love she noted Walton was born on Nov in La Mesa where he led the Helix Highlanders to San Diego Section championships in and He was selected Athlete of the Year in all three of his varsity seasons at UCLA where his band won NCAA championships in and Walton was the first athlete selected in the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers but was hampered by injuries playing at least games in only three seasons He led Portland to the NBA championship in and was selected as the NBA Finals MVP and the league s MVP in the - season He played for his hometown San Diego Clippers from through the gang s first season after moving to Los Angeles before being traded to the Boston Celtics and winning another championship there After retiring Walton overcame a stutter to become an Emmy-winning broadcaster He began his broadcasting career in as an analyst on Clippers telecasts Walton was also an analyst for CBS ESPN ABC and the Pac- Networks winning a Sports Emmy for best live television sports telecast in and being selected as one of the top sports broadcasters of all-time by the American Sportscasters Association in Padres Hall of Famer and longtime sports broadcaster Ted Leitner spoke Wednesday about Walton s character and impact Bill was a force of nature Leitner reported His love for people for this city and for life itself was unmatched Walton considered himself a lifelong San Diegan and had lived in the same home near Balboa Park for over years Bill didn t just live in San Diego he belonged to it Harris stated Now this city will forever belong to him La Mesa bureaucrats according to Harris s office verified that they will take up the proposal to honor Walton in the near future at a city council meeting San Diego councilmembers Sean Elo-Rivera and Stephen Whitburn also either have discussed the proposal with Harris or signaled a willingness to do so City News Institution contributed to this review
