Bill won two straight CIF titles at Helix HS in the San Diego area and was unbeaten in his final 49 prep games. He was the first high school player to ever be part of the USA Senior National Team. He was the California Mr. Basketball in 1970. He went to UCLA and led the Bruins to NCAA titles in 1972 and 1973 in helping the school winning streak reach a record 88 straight games. He was a three-time College Player of the Year (1972, ‘73, ‘74) and three-time All-American.

He set a NCAA record with 44 points in the title game in 1973 against Memphis. He was also an Academic All-American. He was the first overall NBA draft pick by Portland and won his first of two NBA titles there (the other in Boston) in a 15-year professional career. His pro career saw him win the MVP award and be part of the NBA all-star games. He went into the Naismith HOF in 1993 and was part of the first College Basketball Hall of Fame class in 2006. He is in the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. He is currently a college basketball commentator for ESPN and the Pac-12 Network.