Rich Dudes│Slam Dunking Into Bill Walton's $20M Net Worth

Basketball legend William Theodore Walton III boasts an illustrious career with an impressive $20 million net worth. His journey began long before attending the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he won two NCAA national championships and secured the title of NCAA Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons.

After graduating from Helix High School in 1974, Bill Walton played for the U.S. men's national basketball team in the FIBA World Championship, later leading Portland Trail Blazers to their maiden NBA title in 1977 and contributing to the Boston Celtics's 1986 NBA Finals victory.

Lori Matsuoka has been Bill Walton’s wife since 1990. Bill Walton is a devoted father to his four sons Nathan Walton, Luke Walton, Adam Walton, and Chris Walton who shares his love of basketball with them.

Notably, Luke's NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 with the Los Angeles Lakers made them the first father-son duo to have multiple NBA titles. With two NBA championships under Bill’s belt, his sons have a mighty legacy to live up to.

Bill Walton net worth at a glance

Before Bill Walton’s net worth reached eight-figures as a professional basketball player, he was playing for Helix High School in La Mesa, California.

Bill Walton's remarkable NBA career kicked off as the Portland Trail Blazers’ first overall NBA draft pick in 1974. After five seasons with Portland and winning the Most Valuable Player award in 2008, Bill joined the San Diego Clippers as a veteran free agent in 1979 before being traded to the Boston Celtics in 1985.

Throughout his professional career, Bill Walton earned at least $2.6 million in salaries, with his peak earnings of $1.35 million occurring during the 1984-85 season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Upon joining the Boston Celtics, his salary decreased to $425,000 per season—despite winning an NBA championship for the team—until his retirement in 1988.

Following his retirement from the NBA, Bill Walton became a successful television sportscaster, working with prominent networks like CBS, NBC, and ESPN. As of 2021, Walton reportedly earns a staggering $5 million per year as a live television sportscaster for ESPN.

Bill Walton remains an active presence in the NBA scene, with a substantial following of over 100,000 on Twitter. His successful sportscasting career has garnered numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award for "Best Live Sports Television Broadcast" and the prestigious CoSIDA Dick Enberg Award.

He also took to acting in films like Airplane! and Little Nicky and made an appearance on Shark Tank to pitch his company Clean Bottle to the likes of Barbara Corcoran and Mr. Wonderful.

Former professional basketball player and entrepreneur Bill Walton, with a $20 million net worth, holds a diverse investment portfolio in the real estate and food sectors. He actively engages with startups, serving as SDSI's board chairman and a community partner for Cleantech San Diego. Here are some of his endeavors.

Real estate

On the northern edge of Balboa Park in San Diego, former NBA player Bill Walton lives in a spacious property with his wife Lori valued at around $5 million. He has also been known to speak out on the homeless crisis that plagues the city.

Real estate investments can offer attractive returns. Typically, a homebuyer evaluates about nine properties before finalizing a purchase, with the average home price standing at $357,810 as of October 2022.

Annually, property management yields over $99 billion in revenue with factors like smart technology, pet-friendly accommodations, privacy, and accessibility driving rental demand and enhancing ROI.

By the third quarter of 2022, spending on property remodeling is anticipated to hit $400 billion. Key property management services, such as maintenance, repairs, rent collection, leasing, marketing, property inspections, and evictions, can generate income streams for both first and third-party service providers.

Startups

Basketball icon and Hall of Famer Bill Walton partners with Bridgetown Mushrooms as a brand ambassador, bringing shared values and personal passion for mushrooms to help bolster the company's nationwide presence.

GrowLife's acquisition of Bridgetown Mushrooms has shifted its focus to the mushroom industry, with three divisions: fresh gourmet mushrooms, functional mushroom products, and mycology supplies.

Based in Portland, Oregon, the vertically integrated Bridgetown caters to direct consumers and nationwide retailers, overseeing growth, harvesting, sterilization, and retail fulfillment in their 10,000-square-foot facility, specializing in functional, gourmet, and medicinal mushroom products.

From balling it up in his college years to earning most valuable player titles, signing seven-figure contracts, and winning NBA finals, famous basketball player Bill Walton’s story is inspiring in so many ways.

Bill was a skilled basketball player and head coach of the Sacramento Kings but also proved to be just as talented off the court as an investor. Here are three bits of William Theodore Walton investing wisdom to borrow.

1. Never give up

2. Make good use of the opportunities you have

3. Grow and learn