A brand new yearly sporting event is coming to San Diego, officials said Wednesday, and it celebrates the late great La Mesa native, basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton.
Sports San Diego and the Bill Walton Foundation announced the inaugural National University Bill Walton Classic in a special spot – on the court of his alma mater, Helix High School in La Mesa. The event will be held at Pechanga Arena on Nov. 7.
The showdown will include two games featuring three San Diego programs. The opening matchup features women’s teams – the University of San Diego taking on UC San Diego. The final game will feature the San Diego State men’s basketball versus a team to be determined, a potential Power Four squad.
Sports San Diego CEO Mark Neville noted the importance of the event, in “honor (of) a San Diegan … not just for his basketball accomplishments, but for everything he did for the San Diego community.
“The Bill Walton Classic is meant to lift up our three Division I basketball programs, unite San Diego’s basketball community under one roof for an extraordinary evening, and pay tribute to a true San Diego legend and Hall of Famer – Bill Walton.”
In his time at Helix High, Walton averaged 29 points and 25 rebounds. During his senior year, he led Helix to a CIF Championship and an undefeated 33-0 record.
The lifelong San Diegan went on to win championships at UCLA and in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics. He died from cancer in 2024 at age 71.
Walton was a bright light in the basketball community, and not just for his work on the court, said Brian Dutcher, the Aztecs head coach, who attended the announcement of the Bill Walton Classic. Off the court, Walton was an advocate for environmentalism, social justice, peace and overcoming disabilities through his work with the Stuttering Foundation.
“That’s what Bill was, he was all passion, he was all drive, he was all about perfection. He played perfect on the basketball court and then when he got into announcing, he wanted to be perfect at that and he was,” Dutcher said. “Overcoming a stutter to have the career he had from the broadcast end. I never worried about Bill broadcasting, I always worried about his partner who he was broadcasting with. To play second (fiddle) to Bill was always a hard job I thought.”
Walton was known for his love for tie-dye and the popular psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead. Walton attended over 1,000 Grateful Dead concerts and gained the nickname, “The Grateful Red.”
When asked if the SDSU men’s team will be listening to the Grateful Dead in the locker room prior to the game, Dutcher told the Times of San Diego, “They may be playing it and I’ll play it in honor of Bill … I’ve never been to a Grateful Dead concert. If Bill would have taken me, I would have gone … he was running up on stage, I don’t think I could’ve got on stage with him,” Dutcher laughed.
And tie-dye might come along with the tip-off in November. SDSU hinted at the possibility of tie-dye uniforms, but Dutcher confirmed, “tie-dye shooting shirts for sure.”
Pre-sales are underway, with tickets available to the general public beginning Friday at 10 a.m. Prices range from $60 to $160.
The honors keep on coming for Walton – the city of La Mesa voted last week to add an honorary name, “Bill Walton Way,” to a street near Helix High. The city of San Diego is considering a similar honorary name, on a street near Balboa Park or a YMCA.
Updated 4 p.m. April 22, 2026
