Rick Carlisle shares incredible Bill Walton story before Game 4

Feb 7, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Monday recounted one of his best memories of the late Bill Walton.

The NBA announced Monday that Walton died after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. The 2-time NBA champion received touching tributes from fellow Hall-of-Famers such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving.

Carlisle, Walton’s former teammate on the Boston Celtics, credited the UCLA alum for one key part of his life — Carlisle’s relationship with his wife Donna. The Pacers head coach spoke at length about Walton during his press conference before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

“I have him to thank probably also for me being married to my wife Donna,” Carlisle told reporters. “Our first date was to a [Grateful Dead] show in Washington D.C. I called Bill and I said look, this is 1987, ‘I’ve got a date with a girl that I think is pretty cool. Would love to go to the Dead show. I don’t have any tickets. Can you help?’

“And he said, ‘Just go to the back door. Ask for Dennis McInally. Tell him you’re Rick Carlisle from the Boston Celtics and everything will be just fine.'”

Carlisle said that he was given two all-access passes under Walton’s name. Carlisle added that he and his future wife Donna were able to watch the show from the stage and even met the members of the band during the show’s intermission. The date must have gone great — thanks in part to the assist from Walton — because Rick and Donna Carlisle have been married since 2000.

Walton was known to be a massive Grateful Dead fan who watched nearly a thousand of the band’s shows. Walton credits the band for shaping him both as a player and as a person.

Coach Rick Carlisle recalls how his former Celtics teammate Bill Walton helped him with a first date in 1987 with his current wife today pic.twitter.com/xix1muOTEs

— NBA (@NBA) May 27, 2024

Walton was a former NBA MVP and considered one of the greatest centers of all time. But the outpouring of stories about Walton’s character point to him being an equally exceptional human being as well.