Getty Images
Basketball legend Bill Walton privately battled cancer for a while leading up to his tragic passing earlier this week. We now know what kind of cancer it was.
According to the New York Times, the NBA informed them that Walton had been battling colon cancer.
“The N.B.A. said he died of colon cancer,” the outlet reported.
Colon cancer ranks among the most deadly forms of cancer, responsible for close to one million deaths worldwide each year. In the United States, it ranks as one of the top five most common causes of cancer with over 150,000 new diagnoses every year.
Walton leaves behind one of the greatest legacies for both a college and a professional basketball player. He was a three-time national college player of the year, a two-time NCAA champion, an NBA MVP and a two-time MVP champion. His No. 32 has been retired by both the UCLA Bruins and the Portland Trail Blazers.
After his stellar playing career, he went into broadcasting, where he overcame a stutter to become one of the most iconic and recognizable voices in the entire sport of basketball for decades.
Walton also ranks among the world’s most well-known “Deadheads” for his unceasing passion for the rock band Grateful Dead.
The world has truly lost an all-time great.