Sports at Lunch, Luke Walton
- 09-29-2005
- By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions
Luke Walton wanted to talk San Diego sports first. He may live in Los Angeles while playing for the Lakers, but he grew up in San Diego and led University of San Diego High to a state Division III title in 1998 as a senior.
“This is a good time for San Diego sports,” Walton said. “I’m a diehard Padres and Chargers fans. I have a lot of bets with my teammates on Chargers games.”
The Lakers’ third-year forward appeared at the Hall of Champions on Sept. 29 for a press conference and Sports at Lunch to promote the Lakers’ upcoming exhibition against the Charlotte Bobcats. The game is Oct. 23 at the ipayOne Center at the Sports Arena in what has become an annual fall event in San Diego.
“Being a San Diego kid, it’s a dream come true to be able to play professional basketball in Southern California and to be able to come down here and be part of San Diego sports,” said Luke, who recently purchased a second home for the offseason in Rancho Santa Fe. “I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to be at the Hall of Champions.”
Luke’s appearance brought the Walton family full circle with the Hall of Champions. Luke’s father, Bill, a basketball Hall-of-Famer, has made many Hall of Champions appearances over the years, most recently in December with Dick Enberg.
Luke’s uncle, Bruce Walton, a former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman, has also been a friend of the Hall. Bruce attended Luke’s Sports at Lunch with his mother, Luke’s grandmother. Gloria Walton was wearing a "Lu-u-uke" Lakers’ T-shirt.
When Luke turned the topics to basketball and the Lakers, he spoke of how excited he was for the new season with the return of coach Phil Jackson to the bench with the triangle offense.
“The biggest thing Phil teaches is there is a flow to the game,” Walton said. “One thing in a game leads to another event and to the next event. You don’t get too high in a game. I’d be on the bench nervous during a timeout, and Rick Fox and other guys were calm. The next thing you know we go on a 15-0 run.”
But last year the Lakers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1994 with Shaquille O’Neal in Miami and Jackson taking a one-year hiatus. O’Neal is still in Miami, but Jackson has returned to the bench.
Walton says the difference has already been felt in the offseason, even though the team doesn’t report for training camp until Oct. 3 in Honolulu.
“A lot of guys have been working on their own, and then in early September guys start showing up at the facility,” Walton said of the practice facility in El Segundo. “Things are more organized with Phil. We’ve been working on the triangle and cuts. There is a different energy when Phil is around. I think it will show this season.”
Walton said Bryant, the Lakers' All-Star guard, has been leading the offseason workouts.
“When we play 5-on-5, Kobe is playing like it’s the seventh game of the NBA finals,” Walton said. “If you’re late, he’s on you. If you make a great play, he congratulates you.”
Walton may see an expanded role this season. His first year he came off the bench as a forward, but the 6-foot-8, 235-pounder who was an All-America at Arizona has been gradually seeing playing time as a guard.
When I talked with Phil, he told me to work on everthing -- ballhandling, shooting," Walton said. "He told me to be ready to play all over the court."
Walton also had a chance to meet with Cathedral Catholic students who attended the luncheon. USDHS shut down its Linda Vista campus in June and reopened on its North County campus in September as Cathedral Catholic. As a senior when the Dons won their state title, Walton's teammates included David Abramowitz and his younger brother, Chris, who both played at SDSU, and his cousin, Kam Walton, who played at Harvard.
“I still keep in constant touch with David and other guys,” Walton said. “That meant so much to me. There were four years we were always the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the state playoffs, but we couldn’t get to the finals. My sophomore year when my brother Nate hurt his ankle and we lost (in the Southern California) finals, I remember Nate crying. The hurt made it that much more satisfying when we finally won it all. It made all the hard work worth it. It was a proud feeling that was more like a family than an individual feeling.”
Walton also told humorous stories about be hazed as a rookie and that some of the hazing was inspired by teammates having listened to his father criticize the Lakers in his role as an NBA commentator. What were the funny stories? You should have been at Sports at Lunch.
Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.
