Willie was an All-City selection and Co-Player of the Year at San Pedro High School where he was named the State’s Mr. Basketball in 1952, the first from Southern California. Willie was also an All-LA City baseball pitcher in 1951. He went onto an All-American career at UCLA ending in 1956 with a NCAA tournament berth, and averaging 23.6 points per game. For his college career, the 6-7 Naulls averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game (he set a school record with 28 in a game), and finished as the all-time leading Bruin scorer and rebounder.

He was an NBA first-round draft pick of St. Louis, and ended up as four-time all-star game performer with New York, and a three-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics in a 10-year professional career. With the Knicks he was the first African-American to ever be named a captain in a major American sport. As a Celtic, he was part of the first all-black starting NBA line-up. He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1980. Following a successful playing and business career, Naulls entered the clergy and was a Pastor for several years. He was inducted in 2011 as a charter member of Los Angeles City Athletics Hall of Fame. He passed away November 22, 2018 as the age of 84.