Renowned as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, retired basketball player Bill Walton has played for prominent teams including the Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego Clippers and Boston Celtics. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and continued his sports career as a television sportscaster.
During a keynote presentation Oct. 28 at Becker's ASC Review 24th Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs in Chicago, Mr. Walton gave the following insights during his presentation:
On the best player he faced on the court. "I'm not into that binary decision-making but this guy, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], was so far ahead... Kareem made college basketball what it was. Kareem carried the NBA for 20 years. [He was] the greatest player I ever played against by far. What separated Kareem was his mental acuity and emotional commitment: How smart you are, can you anticipate what is next and get there first and do you care? For Kareem, there was never a game that he played in from 6th grade on that he wasn't the absolute focus of the other team."
On what is coming down the pipeline: "Unless we enjoy uncertainty and embrace the fact that things are changing, we are not going to make it. Everything is happening so fast and as it changes, it all comes back to having quality people. I get to spend my time with young people who believe we can do anything."
On leadership: "There has be never been a great team, company or player without a great leader and a great mentor. Leadership is the ability to make things better for other people. Element of leadership [includes the ability to] illuminate the path forward, pull a team together and define terms of conflict and understand the use of the word 'no.'"
Despite his many achievements, Mr. Walton spent the bulk of his life in pain as a result from a birth defect in his feet. Countless orthopedic operations later, Mr. Walton is now pain-free and has never felt more energized.
"I feel like I missed half my life. I never thought I would be pain-free, healthy, living off medication and happy in love at 64 years young; well, in two weeks, I'll be 65," Mr. Walton said
Mr. Walton added, "I am going full speed." Mr. Walton said it has been a long trek to get to where he is today, recalling a procedure in February 2009. As the anesthesia started kicking in, Mr. Walton said he grabbed his spine surgeon's forearm and asked him to give him the chance to play again.
"I looked through the tears and hopelessness and said 'please fix me.' Please give me one more chance to play in real life and ride my bike one more time," Mr. Walton said. "He patted my hand and told me he would do his best. He had such a talent and commitment to life."
With four children and numerous grandchildren, Mr. Walton leads an active life; his desire to be a player on the court has persisted with him years after his basketball career concluded.
"I want to make a difference," he remarked. "I want to be in the game. I am not a spectator."
Mr. Walton is involved in various organizations, including the Stuttering Foundation, a nonprofit aiming to help individuals who stutter. Throughout his life, Mr. Walton struggled with a stutter and noted learning how to speak without the stutter has been, "the greatest accomplishment of my life."