As a huge Boston Celtics fan I have fond memories of Bill Walton in 1986 when he was a sith man on a Celtics team that was a perennial NBA Championship Contender. They were already a two-time champion under KC Jones and were poised to win a third title. Bill was a nice addition to a great team as a backup center to Robert Parrish. It was like we, and I mean the Celtics, had 12 fowls to give at the center position. Walton was an All-Star player so the Celtics were glad to have him to bolster their depth on the bench. Walton would proceed to win the sixth man of the Year along with a Championship Ring that season. He is more than just a sixth man though a lot more. He would describe himself as The Luckiest Man in the World.

Walton was an All-State Basketball player from California coming out of High School so it makes sense he caught the eye of legendary Basketball Coach John Wooden. Who won a bunch of championships at UCA in the 60s and 70s? Recruiting Walton for his team would continue the tradition of winning for Wooden and the University. Until his third year at the school when he got caught up in the protests against the Vietnam War. Which made his fourth year a very tumultuous time for him. He also had a minor leg injury during that time as well. That is a small thing though. 

He endured a much harder time after he was drafted as the first overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He was constantly injured while there in Portland. Which didn’t endear him to the fans and writers of the city’s newspapers. He was getting paid a lot of money, at the time, to play basketball and he wasn’t playing very much during his first two years with the team. Add in his political beliefs and his stance on the war and you can see how this was a hard time for him. He endured though and eventually brought an NBA Championship to the city of Rose’s. 

His lingering injuries would stay with him for the rest of his life though. These injuries wouldn’t sideline his love of the Grateful Dead who he is considered one of their biggest fans. He has attended over a thousand of their concerts. He loves what they stand for and the free spirit that they represent. This free spirit would help define who Walton would be going forward. He would rebel against authority by growing his hair long, and his beard. And smoking marijuana helped him be more relaxed and laid back off of the court. 

Steve James is a renowned documentarian having directed Hoop Dreams about two inner-city basketball players from Chicago and another Life Itself about one of my idols, Roger Ebert, the legendary film critic from Chicago. I’m sensing a theme here, James is also from Chicago. He has a way of getting his subject to bear all in their life. They just seem to let him get into their every thought and feeling. That’s what a great documentarian does though. They get at the heart of their subject matter. Every detail of Waltons life is put on screen in this four-part 30 for 30 series. 

James uses the tried and true method of talking heads throughout the four-part series but he also uses plenty of other methods to get this man’s life on screen. A sit-down session with a bunch of ex-teammates of his gets a lot of information out to viewers who are watching the docu-series. Another thing he uses is archival footage of Walton’s career and interviews from the past. He also changes locations quite a bit in filming his subject. And many others he is interviewing for the show. 

As a man who didn’t speak much as a young adult due to a speech impediment, Walton seemed to have the gift for gab later in life. His long playing career was over but not his career as a whole. He moved from playing basketball and sitting on the bench to sitting behind a desk and monitoring and talking about the game he loved so much. He was a gifted broadcaster and found a new home at ESPN behind a microphone. He was fun to listen to because he seemed to bring a fun aspect to calling the games. I loved listening to him for many years.

Steve James had a very good person to document this time out. Waltons career was long and that made having the series split into four parts the best. 30 for 30 is an award-winning series and it’s because of the filmmakers behind their films and having good topics or subjects to document. Waltons life and long career were ripe for the picking in this series. Anybody who wants to learn every detail about this man will surely be happy with this docu-series. I sure was a fan on a peripheral level. 

The Lukiest Guy in the World is showing on ESPN under the 30 for 30 show banner

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen