That Walton 'Cat Has Bite by John Gustafson ESPN The Magazine
NEW YORK -- This is when it's fun.
When you're unranked, coming off a trip to the Final Four, and coming into your own. When you look around the arena and see one of your brothers behind your bench, right next to your best friend -- who showed up for the last 10 minutes, fresh off his fifth-ever NBA game, to see you kick the No. 3-ranked Maryland Terrapins to the curb. All that was missing was Big Bill leaning into the mike and growling, "Come on. Get the ball to that Walton kid!"
On the first night of the college basketball season, it's good to be Luke Walton. Not Bill's son. Not Richard Jefferson's best friend. Not the role player he was on last year's NCAA runner-up. But plain old Luke, passing, rebounding, and yes, even shooting the unranked U of A to their first W of the season.
Less than two weeks after The New York Times Magazine ran a scathing article that all but called his pops a bad father, a bad husband and a fraud, Luke was front and center at Madison Square Garden, living proof that Papa Bill has done something right.
Thursday night, the junior from San Diego proved to the tune of 12 points, 12 boards, and six assists that he is more than capable of taking up the slack left by the four Cats who left for the NBA.
"We couldn't wait to get on the court tonight," Walton said after the 71-67 win over the Terps. "We were upset we had to wait until 9 o'clock to play."
So he swims naked while reporters interview his dad? So what. The kid can play. Walton said he didn't bother to read the Times piece, but that he endorses his dad's take that the writer, Pat Jordan, is entitled to his opinion.
"My dad said he's not ashamed of anything he's done in his life and we shouldn't be either," said Luke.
Despite losing Jefferson, Loren Woods, Michael Wright and Gilbert Arenas, it appears these Cats have nothing to be ashamed of either. Behind Luke and Jason Gardner (or Jay Gee-zee as Walton calls him), Arizona took the game to Maryland. Now a New Jersey Net, Jefferson, minutes after an evening with the Sonics across the river, arrived just in time to see his best friend make a steal and go coast-to-coast for a lay-in, mouth agape just like the Big Redhead.
After the game, Luke and Jefferson, who spent a good couple of weeks at the Walton house in San Diego this summer, hugged. Brother Nate was up from Princeton. It was almost a family reunion for the Arizona junior.
Which led us to ask Luke, just what is a Family Studies major?
"You study adolescents, try and figure out why people end up becoming who they are," he said.
And has Luke's family determined who he is?
"Well, I've got three brothers, a dad who played pro basketball, so I'm pretty competitive. Plus my mom taught me compassion."
Makes sense to us. But what about fun? Did Luke plan to have any during his stay in NYC?
"What could be more fun than what we did tonight?" he said.
Big Bill couldn't have said it any better.