When I found out Monday morning that La Mesa native and basketball legend Bill Walton had passed away, must admit I was surprised.

While he may have looked a little older and moved a bit slower during the college basketball season when he would be doing commentary, I was not aware of his cancer issue. I might just have missed it and it had gone public.

That said, the Helix High product left his mark not only on the game of basketball, but in so many other arenas too.

As many locals know, Walton had been critical in recent times about Mayor Todd Gloria’s handling of the homeless situation in San Diego. As anyone who drives or walks around the city knows, we have a lot of work to do when it comes to fixing the homeless issue here.

Walton, who was always known for tackling a variety of issues in the public eye, did not have to address the homeless issue. So, why then would he do so? My guess is because the man cared about the city he called home.

Too many people often turn a blind eye to problems in their communities, but that is not who Bill Walton was.

Walton had quite the hoops career

For many people, they will remember this lovable guy for his success on the basketball court, be it as a player or color commentator.

I don’t have to recount all the Walton collegiate accolades as most people know them to some degree. Before he even got on the campus of UCLA and played for what many believe is the GOAT of men’s college basketball coaches, John Wooden, Walton was a star at Helix.

My first real memories of Walton would be during his time at UCLA. His place in college basketball history is etched in stone for a variety of things. A pair of national championships was certainly the highlight. Walton and the Bruins were on the losing end of a ridiculously long 88-game winning streak that was ultimatley snapped by hoops rival Notre Dame.

If I were to put together a Mount Rushmore of the four greatest men’s college basketball players of all time that I had chance to watch play on TV, it would be Lew Alcindor (later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Walton, Pete Maravich and David Thompson. Like any other sports discussion, you could quibble on who the best are, what order of ranking and so on.

Once in the NBA, Walton would have his best seasons a decade apart.

He won an NBA title with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 (the team’s only ring to date) and then wound down his career with another ring as a valuable sixth man on the 1986 Boston Celtics.

Dealing with a variety of foot, ankle, knee and back injuries throughout his playing days, Walton would ultimately call it career, a career that included a brief stint with the then San Diego Clippers.

Walton’s transition to the broadcast booth may have seemed challenging at times, this given he had issues back in the day with stuttering.

Overcoming that challenge, Walton made listening to and watching basketball games sheer delight. If I had a dollar for each time Walton said or did something that made me laugh and smile, I’d probably be retired on an island now.

Treasured piece of sports history

Anyone in my inner circle knows that I have been collecting sports memorabilia dating back to childhood.

Autographs, bobble heads, posters, pennants, helmets and more make up a good chunk of my living area at home.

When I moved for the first time in 13 years a few months back, I made it a priority to make sure as much of my collection was as protected as possible. In doing this, I spent several weeks boxing up memorabilia. One piece that had been in an album waiting for a frame at some point was a Walton autograph (pictured above). While I never got the chance to meet Walton in person, a friend got the photo autographed for me a number of years back.

As I pulled that autographed picture out on Monday from one of my albums, it hit me on what a true larger than life figure we lost.

Not only was he one of the greatest men’s college basketball players of all-time, but he was also an encyclopedia of knowledge during his commentary. Throw in some laughs during one of those broadcasts and you had the makings of must-see television for a couple of hours.

While all we have left now are the memories, Bill Walton succeeded in life and then some.

If you’ve been reading obits on Walton or watching former players and others talk about him over the last 24 or so hours, one thing is almost always there.

Bill Walton went out of his way to put smiles on the faces of others, be they people he knew or complete strangers.

For that alone, we have lost a true legend.