Sports
Bill Walton claims Chewbacca was modeled after him after auditioning for Star Wars role
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 terrific with a basketball.
Chewbacca is quite handy with a blaster, which starts with the same letter as “basketball.”
Yep, there’s no doubt about it — Walton and Chewbacca are basically one and the same.
OK, maybe not. But it doesn’t seem to be too much of a stretch to believe that the basketball Hall of Famer turned beloved broadcaster may have provided inspiration for the beloved character from the “Star Wars” movies.
Portland Trail Blazers center Bill Walton attempts to block out Milwaukee Bucks center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during a game on Jan. 19, 1975.
(Associated Press)
Walton made the claim Thursday night during ESPN’s coverage of Oregon’s game at USC, where the movie franchise’s creator, George Lucas, once attended film school. Here’s Walton’s highly entertaining exchange with broadcast partner Dave Pasch, which includes Walton’s not-quite-correct pronunciation of Chewbacca.
Pasch: “Is it true that you were in the mix to play Chewbacca?”
Walton: “… Chewybacca is modeled after me.”
Pasch: “I heard that you were in the running for that, that you were being considered to play the role. I’m being dead 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 get and I remember the night that George, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], Bill Russell and me, we were all up at San Francisco at a big fundraiser for the Martin Luther King memorial …”
Pasch: “So since you’re not answering the question, I’m just gonna 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 that, so again I think there’s a great chance that this is a true story.”
The Times was unable to reach Walton nor anyone in Lucas’ camp 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 also was the NBA Finals MVP in 1977 and league MVP in 1978.
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. His listed size has fluctuated over the years, but he’s generally been in the 7½-foot range. He’s the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, a brave ally of the Rebel Alliance and a loyal friend to Han Solo.
(He has also been referred to as “fuzzball” and a “walking carpet,” terms that could have applied to Walton during various points in the 1970s).
Walton does have several film credits listed on his IMDB page, including “Ghostbusters” (he briefly appears in the background during the closing credits of the 1984 film). But that page, of course, wouldn’t include a role he tried out for and did not get.
The late Peter Mayhew, who stood at 7-3, played Chewbacca in all of the “Star Wars” movies through “The Force Awakens” in 2015.
As fun as it would be to believe that the character was inspired by Walton, alas, Lucas seems to have debunked that claim in the past.
“My original inspiration for Chewbacca was my dog, Indiana. She was the one that sat there with me as I was writing the script all the time, she’d ride in the car with me and be my co-pilot,” Lucas said in “The Characters of Star Wars” featurette on the 2004 “Star Wars Trilogy” DVD box set.
“And when she’d sit in the car, she would be as tall as I am. She was an Alaskan Malamute, she was very big — I thought that was a funny image. And as I was looking for a kind of alien co-pilot for Han Solo, I immediately thought of Indiana.”
Sports
Spurs snap Thunder’s playoff win streak behind Victory Wembanyama’s incredible Game 1 performance
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Oklahoma City Thunder came into Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals having not lost an NBA Playoffs game since Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year.
But they hadn’t faced Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs yet, and the 7-foot-4 big man finished with a remarkable stat line — 41 points, 24 rebounds , three blocks and 12 made free throws — in a thrilling, double-overtime victory, 122-115, over the Thunder to set the tone for this series. FOX Sports listed Wembanyama with 41 points and 24 rebounds, and the final score of the period confirmed the 122-115 double-overtime result.
Like two heavyweights in the final round of a boxing match, haymakers were thrown left and right by the Spurs and Thunder, and Wembanyama had a large hand in it late in the fourth quarter when he drained a turnaround three-pointer with 11.5 seconds left on the clock to give San Antonio a 101-99 lead.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player before the start of the series, came through in the clutch on the opposite end. With 3.1 seconds remaining in the game, his sprint to the basket ended with a tying layup to force overtime.
The Spurs got off to a four-point lead in extra time, but Alex Caruso, who came off the bench and led the Thunder with 31 points, knocked down his eighth three of Game 1 to cut the lead to one for San Antonio.
STEPHEN A SMITH FIRES BACK AT JAYLEN BROWN AFTER CELTICS STAR CALLED HIM THE ‘FACE OF CLICKBAIT MEDIA’
The Thunder used that momentum, as Jalen Williams had a dunk to take a 106-105 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander added to it with a dunk of his own. “Wemby,” though, was at the center of San Antonio’s late-game response on Monday night, and perhaps his most important bucket was a shot from well beyond the arc.
Wembanyama took the ball from Stephon Castle and added to the guard’s assist total with a 27-foot three near the Oklahoma City logo to tie the game at 108 apiece with 27 seconds left. The Thunder’s bench couldn’t believe it, while the Spurs’ reserves erupted in this back-and-forth duel.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Williams couldn’t hit a three-pointer on the other end, and despite drawing up a great play, Caruso knocked down Dylan Harper’s attempted alley-oop to Castle with just 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime to keep the score where it was.
Needing one more extra period, Wembanyama took the game into his hands. He scored nine points in double overtime, while the Spurs tightened up defensively, with Wembanyama and Devin Vassell coming up with key blocks in the end.
Castle finished with 11 assists to lead the Spurs in that category, while rookie guard Dylan Harper made vital contributions with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a game-high seven steals in the win. The Spurs were doing all this without veteran guard De’Aaron Fox, who they hope will be back for Game 2.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket against Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Williams had 26 points for Oklahoma City, while Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting with 12 assists and five steals.
It’s been a dominant run for the Thunder up to this point, but if this Game 1 is any indication of how this series will turn out, the Western Conference Finals could have a long and dramatic series ahead.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
MONDAY’S RESULTS
First Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter 16, #17 Middle College 6
#20 Cleveland 20, #13 Dorsey 2
#10 North Hollywood 12, #14 USC-MAE 0
#18 Taft 13, #15 Central City Value 0
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys 19, #17 Alliance Bloomfield 2
#20 East Valley 14, #13 Community Charter 3
#14 VAAS 18, #19 Angelou 0
#15 Reseda 24, #18 Stella 0
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn 44, #17 West Adams 33
#20 Hawkins 28, #13 LAAAE 7
#14 Franklin 19, #19 Mendez 7
#18 Diego Rivera 24, #15 Discovery 8
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
First Round
DIVISION I
#16 Sherman Oaks CES at #1 Venice
#9 San Fernando at #8 Bravo
#12 Lincoln at #5 Chavez
#13 Animo Venice at #4 Chatsworth
#14 LA University at #3 Port of LA
#11 Harbor Teacher at #6 Eagle Rock
#10 Verdugo Hills at #7 Garfield
#15 LA Hamilton at #2 Marquez
Second Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter at #1 LA Marshall
#9 Northridge Academy at #8 Rancho Dominguez
#12 Fremont at #5 Symar
#20 Cleveland at #4 Narbonne
#19 North Hollywood at #3 Roosevelt
#11 Orthopaedic at #5 Arleta
#10 Sun Valley Poly at #7 South Gate
#18 Taft at #2 LA Wilson
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys at #1 Bell
#9 Palisades at #8 Hollywood
#12 Lakeview Charter at #5 South East
#20 East Valley at #4 Maywood Academy
#14 VAAS at #3 Maywood CES
#11 Westchester at #6 Torres
#10 Animo Robinson at #7 LACES
#15 Reseda at #2 Sun Valley Magnet
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn at #1 Jefferson
#9 Smidt Tech at #8 Alliance Levine
#12 Downtown Magnets at #5 University Prep Value
#20 Hawkins at #4 Huntington Park
#14 Franklin at #3 Santee
#11 Bernstein at #6 Camino Nuevo
#10 Rise Kohyang at #7 CALS Early College
#18 Diego Rivera at #2 LA Jordan
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION
#8 Granada Hills Kennedy at #1 Granada Hills
#5 El Camino Real at #4 San Pedro
#6 Wilmington Banning at #3 Birmingham
#7 Legacy at #2 Carson
Note: Division I-IV quarterfinals May 22 at higher seeds; Semifinals all divisions May 27 at higher seeds; Finals all divisions May 29-30 at TBD.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Russell Wilson has had his share of ups and downs in his NFL career.
He helped the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. But the last few years of his career arguably did some damage to his legacy as he’s spent the last three seasons with three different teams.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 9, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Wilson is still on the free-agent market as he looks to latch on to a new team for 2026. However, former NFL star Aqib Talib implored Wilson to hang up the cleats.
“Do your TV thing, Russ. It’s over with, man. Once you’ve got to decide, do I even want to play?” Talib said on “The Arena: Gridiron.” “I think you don’t really want to play. I hate when guys get to the later part of their career and then they start doing the bounce-around thing and they’re not going to win. There was no chip in New York. That’s just going to be another stop on your resume.”
Wilson reportedly garnered some interest from NFL teams.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson stands on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Oct. 26, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
He told the New York Post that the New York Jets were one of them.
Wilson also was reportedly a candidate to take Matt Ryan’s spot on CBS’ “The NFL Today” after Ryan left to take a front office job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Wilson has 46,966 passing yards and 353 passing touchdowns in 205 career games, but the 2025 season with the New York Giants was one to forget.
Wilson started three games and made some bizarre decisions in a loss against the Chiefs. Jaxson Dart was named the starting quarterback. As he came in to take a few snaps while Dart was being checked for a concussion, Wilson was booed.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 19, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Should he end up signing with another team, Wilson will be entering his age-38 season.
-
World6 minutes agoShakira Is Found Not Guilty of Tax Fraud in Spain
-
News12 minutes agoVideo: Deal Ends Long Island Rail Road Strike
-
Business24 minutes agoVideo: Jury Rejects Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft
-
Culture48 minutes agoKennedy Ryan on ‘Score,’ Her TV Deal, and Finding Purpose
-
Lifestyle54 minutes agoColbert’s last episodes: What happened on ‘The Late Show’ last night
-
Technology1 hour agoLG will release the first 1000Hz, 1080p gaming monitor this year
-
World1 hour agoAmerican tourists arrested in Japan after alleged break-in at viral monkey Punch’s enclosure
-
Politics1 hour agoHegseth unleashes on Massie in GOP primary showdown against Trump-backed Navy SEAL vet
