Ex-Cat enjoys situation in L.A. By Bruce Pascoe, 7/21/04 - ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Once Britney Spears said Luke Walton was "cute,'' it was all over.
Walton's life was in the gossip columns for good. Walton made the star-powered Los Angeles Lakers as a second-round pick out of Arizona last year and played a valuable supporting role on a high-profile team.
Off the court, Walton bought a home in Manhattan Beach, where he can stroll easily to the beach for a game of volleyball. For socializing, he has some pretty effective credentials: Walton was named one of People magazine's "50 Hottest Bachelors'' last month.
"My life is pretty good right now,'' Walton said Tuesday at Catalina High School, where he is operating a basketball camp with former UA teammate Richard Jefferson of the New Jersey Nets.
The only downside may be the gossip. During the NBA playoffs, there was that little episode where Spears started talking about Walton, who returned the compliment, and the situation escalated from there - even though Walton said the two never had a relationship.
"Somebody told me she thought I was cute and asked if I thought she was cute,'' Walton said. "I said, 'Of course she's cute. She's Britney Spears.'"
That was enough. Speculation arose about Walton trying to provide her with playoff tickets, even though she was on tour, and rumors took off from there.
It was hardly the first time that Walton had seen speculation run rampant over the past year. After all, he plays for the Lakers.
But he said he never worried about any of the controversy.
"I loved being on the team,'' Walton said. "I had a great time with all of them. They bickered once in a while, but most teams do. That's going to happen when you spend every day together with the same 12 people for nine months. It was just because we were in L.A. - they blew up everything so big.''
Walton's good buddy, Jefferson, also knows how things can escalate. Jefferson criticized the Nets' trade of forward Kenyon Martin upon arriving for a game at the Jewish Community Center on Sunday - and quickly found himself getting phone calls from elsewhere.
"It's all over the Internet,'' Jefferson said, insisting he was simply reacting to the trade. "You lose a dude that you won three division championships and two Eastern Conference titles with … What do you do? Just send them a note to say farewell?''
Walton's team lost an even bigger star when Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. Walton was similarly disappointed.
"I loved playing with Shaq,'' Walton said. "He was a good teammate, and he made the whole game a lot easier.''
But Walton said he never picked a side in the Shaq-vs.-Kobe debate.
"I loved playing with Kobe,'' Walton said. "He's one of the most self-motivated players I've ever played with, and one of the best players in the game.''
Although Bryant will be back next season, O'Neal and coach Phil Jackson will not. Instead, the Lakers will have three former Heat players who were traded for O'Neal, and a new coach, Rudy Tomjanovich.
Walton said he does not know if his role will change under Tomjanovich, but Walton earned respect with an eight-assist performance that helped the Lakers win Game 2 of the NBA Finals against Detroit.
As it turned out, that was the only game the Lakers won in the series. But there was a small silver lining.
The Lakers' early exit ended the season just as People came out with its "Hottest Bachelor'' list, saving Walton from teasing by teammates, as well as opponents.
"I got lucky there,'' Walton said.