What type of cancer did Bill Walton have?

Bill Walton was an absolute legend. He dominated college basketball during the 1970s, and went on to have a hall of fame career with various NBA teams throughout the 1980s.

After his playing days were over, Walton connected with subsequent generations as a sportscaster. His eccentric delivery and colorful anecdotes only served to bolster his reputation as a singular presence in the sport, and he took home an well-earned Emmy Award in 1991.

Sadly, Walton’s journey came to an end on May 27, 2024. The basketball mainstay died at age 71 in his beloved San Diego, California. His career, impressive as it was, was hampered by health issues on a consistent basis. This led many to question what the case of Walton’s death was when it was initially announced by the NBA (who had the permission of the Walton family).

Bill Walton’s official cause was colon cancer

The NBA issued a statement following Bill Walton’s death. In the statement, cancer is cited to be the cause:

May 27, 2024- Two-time NBA champion and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton passed away today at the age of 71 following a prolonged battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family.

The league failed to mention the specific type of cancer Walton suffered from near the end of his life, but the New York Times provided additional details. The publication reached out to the NBA, and was subsequently told that Walton died from colon cancer. Colon cancer is one of the most common and deadly forms of cancer, according to Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

It results in nearly one million deaths per year, and ranks in the top five most common cause of cancer in the United States alone. Furthermore, the average age of diagnosis for men is 66, which aligns with Walton’s age at the time of his death.

Walton’s career was riddled with health complications

Bill Walton never spoke publicly about his cancer diagnosis, but he was forthright when it came to the other physical ailments he dealt with throughout his life. During a guest stint on the NPR show All Things Considered, the all-star noted that his height and physicality on the court made it very difficult for him to sustain long periods of health.

“My challenges in a life that has been defined by meteoric rises and climbs to the top, the top of the highest mountains, and then these catastrophic health crises that would just take me down,” he told the listeners. “I was born with structural, congenital defects in my feet. I tore up my knee for the first time when I was 14.” Walton went on to detail the harrowing period in which is spine collapsed during a 2008 trip, and the road to recovery that he deemed the “longest stretch” of his life.

“I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think,” he recalled. “I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t drink. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t do anything. And then I had my spine surgery – seven years, six weeks and four days ago. And now I am back from the dead.” Despite these serious complications, Bill Walton managed to stay active. Walton loved cycling, and journalist Jonathan Maus claimed that Walton still found a way to hop on his bike and put miles in despite his physical limitations. Maus told Bike Portland that he put the ex-NBA star in touch with a friend of his, who noted: “He can hardly walk, but he can ride like crazy.”

“Ride like crazy” is how Walton got through his entire life. He will be missed.