Bill Walton, NBA Hall of Famer and free spirit, dead at 71

FILE PHOTO: Dec 9, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Bill Walton speaks with Brigham Young Cougars athletic director Tom Holmoe before the game between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young Cougars at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

(Reuters) -Bill Walton, a two-time NBA champion and member of the basketball Hall of Fame, whose brilliant but injury-riddled career led to a second act as a free-spirited broadcaster who waxed philosophical on the air, died on Monday at the age of 71, the National Basketball Association announced.

Walton, who had a prolonged battle with cancer, was surrounded by his family when he died, the National Basketball Association said.