Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The basketball world lost an absolute legend last year after Bill Walton passed away at the age of 71. The beloved big man left behind a ton of memorabilia that’s hit the auction block, and if you’ve ever wanted to own one of the tie-dye shirts he rocked at a Grateful Dead show, you’re in luck.
Bill Walton cemented himself as one of the greatest college basketball players in history while winning two national titles and racking up a slew of individual accolades during his time at UCLA.
He was plagued by injuries during an NBA career that ultimately lasted ten seasons, but he was still a two-time All-Star who managed to win a couple of championships before he hung up his sneakers and became one of the many professional athletes who pivoted to broadcasting.
That decision ended up being a fantastic development for the basketball fans who were in for an absolute treat whenever the famously unpredictable Walton was calling a game, as his efforts at analysis frequently morphed into philosophical musings and rambling existential missives that made every contest he covered a delightfully volatile experience.
It’s been close to a year since Walton died after a largely private battle with colorectal cancer, and his family has teamed up with Hunt’s Auctions for an estate sale overflowing with memorabilia that will be used to help raise funds for the University of California-San Diego.
There’s no shortage of artifacts from his time at UCLA and in the NBA (including championship rings he won with the Bruins and another he secured with the Celtics), but some of the coolest items have nothing to do with basketball but another passion he was known for: the Grateful Dead.
Walton was a rabid Deadhead who said he attended 869 shows in the memoir he published in 2016, and the auction features a number of the tie-dye shirts he sported along with some photos that certify he wore them (including one he donned during a sitdown with Jerry Garcia and some other members of the band).
However, I’d argue the crown jewel of the collection is the 16-foot-tall tepee Walton erected in his backyard in San Diego where he hosted a ton of notable names over the years (Mike Breen shared a touching story about the role it played when Walton hosted him and his dad during a trip to the city).
The auction doesn’t officially start until June 12th, but the organizer is already accepting early bids.