Rick Carlisle Shares How Bill Walton Helped Him On His First Date With Future Wife

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle shared a heartwarming and amusing story about how NBA legend Bill Walton played a pivotal role in his first date with his future wife, Donna. This touching anecdote highlights Walton's generosity and the significant impact he had on those around him. 

"I have him to thank probably also for me being married to my wife Donna. Our first date was to a Dead Show in Washington, D.C. and I called Bill and, this is 1987, I said, ‘Look, I’ve got a date with a girl I think is really cool, I’d love to go to the Dead show at Capitol Centre, but I don’t have any tickets, can you help?’”

"He said, ‘Just go to the back door, ask for Dennis McNally, tell him you’re Rick Carlisle from the Boston Celtics and everything will be just fine.’ I said, ‘Really?’”

The story dates back to 1987, when Carlisle, then a player for the Boston Celtics, had just started dating Donna. Wanting to impress her, he planned to take her to a Grateful Dead concert at the Capital Centre in Washington, D.C. However, there was one significant problem: he didn't have any tickets. In a moment of desperation, Carlisle reached out to Walton, a renowned Grateful Dead fan and a former teammate. 

"So I drove up to the loading dock. And so Donna was with me. We hadn't known each other that long. I said, just wait here a second. She's like, ’What, do you have tickets?’ I said, ’Just give me a couple minutes here.’ So I walked down I knocked on the door, the whole thing ended up working out." 

"I walked back up the loading dock ramp with two all-access laminates, one said Bill Walton, the other said Susie Walton. So we were set up for the show and we were actually on stage watching the show. And during the break, we just kind of wandered into the back and just opened up a door and ended up sitting down with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Mickey Hart for about 15 minutes just shooting the s**t."

"I mean, it was an unbelievable night. And you know, obviously, it's a good first date. So anyway I'm thankful to him."