Times of San Diego)
Bill Walton Way in La Mesa has officially been designated.
The three-time college basketball All-American player at UCLA and Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Famer who died of colon cancer in 2024 at age 71 was given a dedicated
street sign, Wednesday morning at the intersection of Lowell Street and Normal Avenue in his hometown of La Mesa.
“Bill Walton Way” now shines in blue and white at the entrance of the main parking lot at
his alma mater, Helix High School. The sign also marks the first time the city of La Mesa has dedicated a street in someone’s honor.
The designation does not change the legal street name or existing addresses, but serves as
a permanent public tribute to the 6-foot-11-inch-tall “Big Redhead,” who was a fixture in La Mesa, San Diego County and beyond.
Throughout his life, Walton always told people that he wanted to be known just as “Billy
from La Mesa.” He was often seen on his bicycle pedaling across San Diego County. Walton
was an ambassador for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and was also the executive
chairman for 15 years for San Diego Sport Innovators, mentoring local entrepreneurs and
promoting the active lifestyle economy in the county.
It was at Helix High where Walton honed his basketball skills, which led him to his stellar college career at UCLA and then onto a 10-year career in the National Basketball Association, followed by a career as a college and NBA broadcaster.
At Helix, Walton led the Highlanders to consecutive San Diego CIF championships in 1969
and 1970. He famously played 49 consecutive games without a loss for the Highlanders.
Before unveiling the “Bill Walton Way” sign, which sits atop the Normal Avenue sign and is parallel to the bottom Lowell sign, La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis spoke to a crowd
of supporters. The mayor thanked the Walton family “for sharing him with the world” and
said the sign would keep Walton’s name “visible in our community and the community that
helped shape him.”
It is not Walton’s first public dedication in his honor.
In 2018, a gym in his name was opened at La Mesa’s Boys & Girls Club, which is just around the corner from Helix High. Walton was also inducted into the city’s Walk of Fame in 2003.
Lisa Morris, who for 14 years has lived in a corner house at Lowell and Normal across from
Helix watched the unveiling with her daughter. Morris said she attended the La Mesa City
Council meeting on June 9, where she heard about the street sign and met Arapostathis for the first time.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Morris said, looking at the Bill Walton Way sign. “This is a real
community school. We see the football team, we hear bagpipes (a Helix High band
speciality) every single day… so we’re glad that this is here. It’s more than just a street
name, it’s a community name.”
The La Mesa City Council first approved the sign in April 2026.
“I’m excited to see this project come to life,” said La Mesa City Council Member Patricia Dillard, who proposed the public declarations alongside City Councilmember Laura Lothian. “I think that this is a lasting impression for the city of La Mesa… (Walton) was known for his generosity, his commitment to charitable causes, and his passion for helping others, but most importantly he never forgot where he came from.
“[Walton] often spoke about how growing up in La Mesa helped shape the person he became. We believe the best way to honor this amazing hometown hero is by designating an honorary street sign bearing his name. This sign will serve as a lasting reminder of what can be achieved through hard work, kindness, and community spirit.”
And while some community members watched in attendance, others, including Walton’s widow was absent, as was La Mesa councilmember Lothian.
Reached by text earlier this week, Lori Walton, who now lives in Hawaii near her mother, told Times of San Diego that she had not been invited to the sign reveal.
“I knew the city approved the naming of the street after Bill, but no one invited me to the
unveiling on Wednesday,” Walton texted on Wednesday morning. “I would have liked for
our family to have been a part of the ceremony, so I am, of course, disappointed that we
weren’t included.”
Dillard said that she had reached out to Lori Walton and added, “(Lori Walton) lives in
Hawaii now, and she’s with her mom, so it may not have worked for her schedule.” Dillard
acknowledged that she had not reached out to Walton’s children to invite them to the
unveiling. Walton had four sons with his first wife, Suzi Guth Walton.
Lothian said she is planning on attending a separate but similar event, called the “Official
La Mesa Bill Walton Way Street Sign Unveiling and Countywide Commemoration,” planned for 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 15, also at the spot where the sign sits.
More memorials for the basketball legend may soon be on the way. The city of San Diego has also explored various honors for Walton, including potential tributes near Balboa Park, an area where he lived with Lori Walton for many years.
