Hall of Famer Bill Walton, 2-time champ at UCLA and in NBA, dies - ESPN

Basketball legend Bill Walton, who led the UCLA Bruins to two national titles before winning two championships during his NBA career, has died at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Walton died Monday while surrounded by his loved ones, his family said in a statement released by the NBA.

«Bill Walton was truly one of a kind,» NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

He was the NBA's MVP in the 1977-78 season and a member of the league's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. That all followed a college career in which he was a two-time champion at UCLA and a three-time national player of the year under iconic coach John Wooden.

• Born Nov. 5, 1952, in La Mesa, California
• College: UCLA
• Two-time national champion at UCLA (1972, 1973); team was 86-4 in his three seasons, including two 30-0 seasons
• Scored 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting in 1973 championship game vs. Memphis State (most points, most field goals and highest FG pct. — min. 10 makes — in Final Four history)
• No. 1 pick in 1974 NBA draft (Portland Trail Blazers)
• 1977-78 NBA MVP; two-time NBA All-Star (1976-77, 1977-78)
• Two-time NBA champion (1977 with Portland, 1986 with Celtics)
• Inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993

«What I will remember most about him was his zest for life,» Silver said in his statement. «He was a regular presence at league events — always upbeat, smiling ear to ear and looking to share his wisdom and warmth. I treasured our close friendship, envied his boundless energy and admired the time he took with every person he encountered.

»As a cherished member of the NBA family for 50 years, Bill will be deeply missed by all those who came to know and love him."

The 6-foot-11 Walton, who was