Apr 30 2024
CACNC’s Seaside Symposium – Keynote Speaker Margaret Hoelzer – Myrtle Beach, North Carolina
Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center
Bill Walton is an NBA Hall of Famer, New York Times bestseller, and beloved keynote speaker known for his motivational insight and unrivaled ability to connect with individual audience members.
As entertaining as he is insightful, Bill Walton is widely considered one of the best speakers from the world of sports. The lessons he learned from his sports, broadcasting, and business careers are applicable to every audience. Bill Walton is available to be hired for corporate and private events. He is also well-known for his keynote and motivational speaking. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Bill Walton’s fees.
Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at 215-510-6607 to hire Bill Walton for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.
The Mollie Plotkin Group is the leading keynote speakers agency and entertainment bureau bringing excitement to audiences, clients, and employees. We represent subject-matter experts in every possible field, so whether we’re your partner in creating a memorable meeting, or your meeting planner’s secret weapon in securing the perfect keynote speaker, we’re in this with you.
Bill Walton’s basketball accolades begin in high school. At Helix High School, Bill became the first and only high school player to ever make the U.S.A. Senior Men’s National Basketball Team and play in the World Championship. Following high school, Bill went to UCLA to play for the most renowned basketball coach of all time – John Wooden. Bill’s collegiate basketball accomplishments are rivaled by few other players.
After his celebrated college basketball career, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Bill Walton as the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. With the Trail Blazers, Bill would lead the team to its first and only championship in 1977. Nine years later, he earned another championship title with the Boston Celtics in 1986. His second championship with the Celtics made Bill one of only four players in basketball history to have won multiple NCAA and NBA Championships. During his career, Bill won numerous awards including:
He is the only player to have won an NBA Finals MVP, Sixth Man Award, and regular season MVP. He is also the second of only five players in NBA history to lead the league in both blocked shots and rebounding in the same season.
After the 1986-87 season, Walton retired from the NBA. In 1993, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was selected as part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and named in their “75 Greatest Players in NBA History” list. The most impressive part? Bill accomplished all of this despite the numerous injuries he suffered during his career. He survived 39 orthopedic surgeries – one of which ended his career prematurely. While injuries kept him from playing more than half the games during his remarkable NBA career, pure tenacity kept him in the games he did play.
After retiring from basketball, Bill pursued his dream job as a sports broadcaster. But first, he had to overcome a lifelong stuttering affliction that kept him completely quiet until he was 28 years old. Ultimately, Bill worked tirelessly to become the poignant and eloquent speaker he is today. As a broadcaster, he worked for CBS Sports in the early 90’s and then NBC for many years, including work on the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games. Over his career, he’s also done broadcasting work for ABC, ESPN, FOX, MSNBC, Turner Sports, KCAL, NESA, and the NBA. Bill has been nominated for numerous Emmy Awards and in 2001 won an Emmy for Best Live Sports Television Broadcast. Currently, he covers Pac-12 games for ESPN and the Pac-12 Network.
In 2008, Bill Walton suffered a spinal collapse so devastating he was unable to get up. It was the culmination of a lifetime of injury, and he needed to endure a risky surgery to repair the damage done to his back early in his basketball career. From the time of his spinal collapse until his eventual recovery, he spent most of three years flat on the ground. The pain was excruciating. At times, he thought seriously about killing himself. But he survived, recovered, and wrote the New York Times bestseller Back from the Dead.
Bill is also one of the most compassionate figures in sports, with an extraordinary record of giving back through his work with numerous charities and nonprofits. For his efforts, he received the NBA Retired Players Association Humanitarian Award in 2002. He is the executive chairman of Connect SD Sport Innovators (SDSI), a non-profit, business-accelerating, trade organization that connects and drives the growth of Southern California’s vibrant sports economy.
Bill currently resides in his hometown of San Diego with his wife Lori. Among his other ventures, he greatly enjoys traveling for keynote speaking and specifically making an impact on an organizational and individual level with the audiences he speaks with. The proof is in the testimonials gathered from his past speaking engagements. Organizations that are looking for an authentic original who personifies greatness hire Bill Walton.
Find out how to hire Bill Walton to appear at your next event. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group to inquire about Bill Walton’s availability and cost. When hiring Bill Walton for an event, we need to know the type of venue and location the event will take place. Bill Walton is a popular choice for corporate events, private events, and virtual events. So, you can click the Check Availability button or contact us and an MPG Bill Walton booking agent will get back to you within 48 hours.
How much to book Bill Walton depends on the type of event. So, the cost to hire Bill Walton for corporate or private events is available by contacting a Mollie Plotkin Group Agent. Notably, Bill Walton is available for conferences, festivals, private parties, and events. Just contact the Mollie Plotkin Group and tell the booking agent the proposed date, time, and location.
Our speakers are in high demand! View their upcoming events.
“Those not willing to risk going too far will never know how far they can go.” Those words from Bill Walton sum up his philosophy of life. At 6’ 11” in his Grateful Dead tie-dyed t-shirt, Bill Walton is one of the most recognizable and colorful sports legends ever. He also has one of the greatest can-do attitudes you’ll ever encounter. He gives this cultivated mindset credit for helping him adapt, persevere, and ultimately succeed in challenges on and off the court.
Named one of the “50 Greatest NBA Players of All Time,” Bill incredibly missed 9½ of his 14 NBA seasons due to injuries related to orthopedic problems. Despite that, his achievements on the court were enormous. When his storied career ended with his 30th surgery, Bill’s dream was to pursue sports broadcasting. One problem: a severe lifelong stutter that prevented him from even saying a simple “thank you.” Undeterred, Bill set about the task of learning to speak. He conquered stuttering and found a place behind the mic – earning numerous awards and honors since.
However, Bill’s greatest test came in 2007 when severe back pain confined him to the floor of his home for 2½ years. Finally relenting to surgery in 2009, the grueling rehab and recovery from that 37th surgery could well be Bill’s biggest achievement. While Bill exclaims regularly, “I’m the luckiest guy on Earth,” it’s clear his outlook on life helped create that luck. Bill loves to inspire audiences to rise to the challenge of seeing just how far they can go.
Key Takeaways:
What separates great teams from everyone else? Basketball icon Bill Walton was part of legendary college and NBA championship teams: UCLA, the Boston Celtics, and the Portland Trail Blazers. He was also part of the last-place San Diego Clippers.
According to Bill, the difference between winning and losing was leadership. The best coaches knew how to get the best out of their players. In Bill’s career, no one was better than legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. An English teacher who coached on the side for extra money, Wooden focused on the fundamentals. In fact, he never talked about winning – and rarely even mentioned the opposing team. Wooden insisted that players work together, not be selfish, execute flawlessly, and be accountable for doing their best.
Armed with that approach, Wooden went on to win 88 consecutive games (a men’s collegiate record which still stands) and ten national championships. Bill, the consummate storyteller, shares tales that are as insightful as they are entertaining – about lessons of leadership he learned from John Wooden, Red Auerbach, Jack Ramsey, and others during his storied career.
Key Takeaways:
I thank you again for sharing your life, your passions, and pouring your soul out to us last night. It wasincredibly moving and we all appreciate your time with us. I also really enjoyed our one on one time when it was all said anddone. You exceeded my expectations. Everyone continued to talk about you today at the conference. – Wells Fargo
He might be the most genuine. Everyone loved meeting him, and you can tell he really enjoyed meeting all of us – he was dropping names of people he just met all week. He must have a photographic memory. And I’m not embellishing, he literally shocked people by calling them out by name during his presentation and he just met them for five minutes the night before. He was really great. – Intelesis
you shared with our team at Plug and Play this week. Your message was inspirational and everyone raved about how much they enjoyed the time with you. I love how open and honest you were and how you conveyed your message through storytelling. – Senior VP, Aflac
You were an AMAZING speaker and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience for myattendees. I would absolutely work with you ANYTIME I get the opportunity. I know your work and reputation needs noreference. But if anyone ever asks my professional opinion about you as a speaker, I promise they will get nothing but apositive response from me. I was amazed at how you truly took the time to study Apotex and their company prior to the event… And, I am still shocked at how you remember people by name and the city they come from…not a list you were able to study, but the attendees that just walked up and had a photo with you…it was just genuine and impressive and honestly, you rocked it! – Vice President, IME Connect
