If the painting is actually a painting of a photo, Walton is abut 43" off the floor. His vertical was good, his timing was superb, but I don't know if he could do 43".
Something else strikes me as wrong with this painting. Dr. J never saw a moment in that series without Bob Gross or Larry Steele within his private space. Neither are in the picture.
If I remember correctly (I was pretty young at the time), Corky Calhoun was our defensive specialist that spent quite a bit of time on Dr J.
All through the 70s, a picture was often in magazines of Walton in a college game, his head a couple of inches from the rim. His posture was perfect as usual, straight up and maximizing his altitude. His gaze was thoughtful and looking perpendicular across the rim...his chin wasn't pointed up. This matters because HIS CHIN WAS about an inch ABOVE THE RIM...higher than in that painting. Operations from possibly politicized Blazer doctors later ruined Walton's leaping ability. Yet as a hobbling Celtic, his stats per minute were still much better than those of starter Robert Parish, considered one of the top centers of the decade.
You could be right again, but I just don't remember him playing all that much in that series. Steele played quit a bit in that series and sort of made his name count in steals.
That is really up there you know. 47" 48" off the floor. Bill Russell, David Thompson, Jordan, sky-walker territory.
He was in the middle of a rebound. Someday I will find that picture and post it. I can't find it on Google images or Bing images.
Well Russell said once in talking about putting a quarter on top of the backboard, there are no rebounds up there.
I saw that just now while searching, but Walton was higher in the picture I used to see. Also, he was facing the basket, and in yours, he's facing away from it. And his mouth was closed (ha ha) in my picture.
