Episode 4

S1 E4: Walton claims he’s 6’11” – and pushes back against everyone else who claims he’s taller. He reflects on what he hoped would be a fresh start in San Diego with the Clippers, but that promise fades when his foot injuries linger. He endures multiple operations and is told he’ll never play again – and in fact, is at risk of losing his foot entirely. Concerned about his future, he enrolls at Stanford Law School. His foot begins to heal and he convinces the Clippers to accommodate him in an unorthodox (and ultimately unsuccessful) arrangement: he attends law school during the week and plays for the team on the weekend. As he grows disgruntled over the leadership of Clippers owner Donald Sterling, Walton is thrown a basketball lifeline – by Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics. Walton forfeits a huge amount of money to leave the Clippers and goes to Boston, where he joins one of the best franchises in sports. He seeks out starting center Robert Parrish and convinces him that he’s there to serve as a backup; his only goal is to help the team win. The Celtics embrace him, the team wins – and wins, and wins – and he introduces his teammates to the Grateful Dead. With Walton’s competitiveness and unselfish play sparking the team, Boston hits another level. An incredible redemption season culminates in Walton winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award – and for the Celtics, a return trip to the NBA Finals. Walton comes up big against the Rockets’ twin towers tandem of Ralph Sampson and Hakeem (then Akeem) Olajuwon, and Walton returns to the mountaintop as an NBA champion. But an attempted repeat is not in the cards, as Walton’s injuries mount. He spends the next four years in and out of surgery, in pain and struggling to walk. He finds fulfillment in overcoming his stutter and becoming a basketball broadcaster, his unfiltered and often outrageous personality making him both loved and hated by viewers. Debilitating pain spreads to his spine, and Walton faces a dark spiral: he can barely move, he’s unable to work, and faces the prospect of losing his home. Broke and broken, he struggles with suicidal thoughts – only fighting through it with the support of his wife Lori and his family. With treatments proving effective in managing his pain, he returns to broadcasting, his spirit stronger than ever. With the love of his family and love of the game undiminished, he considers himself the luckiest guy in the world.