Bill Walton is tall.
So is Chewbacca.
Walton once had long hair and a shaggy beard.
Chewbacca has hair all over his body.
Walton has a son named Luke.
Chewbacca has a friend named Luke.
Walton was fantastic with the basketball.
Chewbacca is quite handy with a blaster, which starts with the same letter as “basketball.”
Yes, there's no doubt about it: Walton and Chewbacca are basically the same.
Okay, maybe not. But it doesn't seem far-fetched to believe that the basketball Hall of Famer turned beloved broadcaster may have served as inspiration for the beloved character in the “Star Wars” movies.
Portland Trail Blazers center Bill Walton attempts to block Milwaukee Bucks center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during a game on January 19, 1975.
(Associated Press)
Walton made the claim Thursday night during ESPN's coverage of the Oregon game at USC, where the film franchise's creator, George Lucas, once attended film school. Here's Walton's very entertaining exchange with his broadcast partner Dave Pasch, which includes Walton's not-quite-correct pronunciation of Chewbacca.
Pasch: “Is it true that you were in the list to play Chewbacca?”
Walton: “…Chewybacca is modeled after me.”
Pasch: “I heard that you were in the running for it, that you were being considered to play the role. “I'm being very serious.”
Walton: “You're always serious, that's one of your problems, that you don't have fun with your life.”
Pasch: “But you're not answering the question.”
Walton: “George Lucas is as cool as they come and I remember the night George, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]“Bill Russell and I were all in San Francisco at a big fundraiser for the Martin Luther King memorial…”
Pasch: “So, since you're not answering the question, I'll assume it's true.”
Walton: “What was the question? “I auditioned for Chewybacca and they said no, but we're going to model the character after you.”
Pasch: “You were in 'Ghostbusters' and people didn't know about it, so again I think there's a strong possibility that this is a true story.”
The Times was unable to reach Walton or anyone in Lucas' group for this story.
Walton won two national titles at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden and was a two-time NBA champion with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics. The 6-foot-11 Walton was also the 1977 NBA Finals MVP and the 1978 league MVP.
Chewbacca has been a beloved “Star Wars” character since the franchise's first film in 1977.
(Chris Pizzello/Associated Press)
Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. Its listed size has fluctuated over the years, but has generally been in the 7½-foot range. He is the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, a brave ally of the Rebel Alliance, and a loyal friend of Han Solo.
(He has also been called a “fluff ball” and a “walking mat,” terms that could have been applied to Walton during various times in the 1970s.)
Walton has several film credits listed on his IMDB page, including “Ghostbusters” (he appears briefly in the background during the end credits of the 1984 film). But that page, of course, wouldn't include a role he tried and didn't get.
The late Peter Mayhew, who was 7-3, played Chewbacca in all of the “Star Wars” films until “The Force Awakens” in 2015.
As fun as it is to believe the character was inspired by Walton, Lucas seems to have debunked that claim in the past.
“My original inspiration for Chewbacca was my dog, Indiana. She was the one who sat with me while I wrote the script all the time, she rode in the car with me and she was my co-pilot,” Lucas said in the featurette “The Star Wars Characters” from the 2004 film “Star Wars Trilogy” DVD box set. “Star Wars.”
“And when she sat in the car, she was as tall as me. She was an Alaskan Malamute, she was very big; I thought she was a funny picture. And while she was looking for some kind of alien co-pilot for Han Solo, I immediately thought of Indiana.”
