Before UCLA, Before the NBA: Bill Walton’s Helix High School Scrapbook

Bill Walton’s story starts in La Mesa, California. He attended Helix High School from 1966 to 1970 and became the best player the San Diego Section had ever seen. He led the Scotties to 49 consecutive victories over his two varsity seasons and to CIF section titles in 1969 and 1970, finishing 29-2 in 1968-69 and 33-0 in 1969-70. As a senior, he averaged 29 points and 25 rebounds. He was named California Mr. Basketball and a first-team Parade All-American in 1970, and he still holds the national high school record for field goal percentage at 79%. This scrapbook follows that rise. It contains an original JV team photo and an original varsity team photo, a 1967 high school letterman’s athletic award certificate, a program from the 1967 San Diego Kiwanis Tournament, a 1970 AAU Tournament Finals roster, and numerous newspaper articles from his Helix years. 

What came next makes the early record more valuable. Walton won two NCAA championships at UCLA, in 1972 and 1973, and in the 1973 final he made 21 of 22 shots for a record 44 points against Memphis State. He won NBA titles with Portland in 1977 and Boston in 1986, and was the league’s MVP in 1978. He died in May 2024 at 71, and La Mesa has since renamed the intersection in front of Helix “Bill Walton Way.” Material from a famous player’s high school years is rarer than anything from his pro career, since almost no one thought to save it at the time. A scrapbook that covers his freshman letterman’s award through his senior-year tournament play, with newspaper coverage along the way, is a direct view of how the town watched a future Hall of Famer grow up.