Back from the Dead

“My history tells me, that there’s a crash coming soon,” basketball legend Walton writes in his optimistic, bouncy autobiography. “But I know this time will be different.” It’s a constant that runs throughout Walton’s life. Basketball is another—the pick-up games at San Diego’s Municipal Gym were a revelation for the boy. So is music: Walton is a devout Deadhead who has actually played with the group. Pain, unfortunately, is also nearly constant. Thanks to congenitally bad feet, Walton sat out three years in mid-career—he had time to attend law school—and only returned after a risky, new operation (slowly) put a spring in his step. Unfortunately, the injuries didn’t end once Walton retired. In 2008, his spine collapsed, putting him at his lowest point figuratively and literally—the athlete ate his meals on the ground. Walton adroitly weaves his personal and professional lives in this frequently stirring memoir. He doesn’t follow through on some fascinating anecdotes, such as the time as a highly paid pro he tried working as a lumberjack. But Walton’s love for life and the people and things in it—including his college coach, John Wooden—is infectious. You can’t stop reading, or rooting for the man. (Mar.)