Danny Ainge shares a story of Bill Walton being obsessed with chess but being at it: "We thought he was a chess genius"

Throughout the years, fans have learned how different NBA players share a similar passion for other games. For example, Michael Jordan was a thorough competitor on the golf course and regularly invited his peers to compete against him, eventually proving his dominance over them.

Bill Walton had a similar obsession, but instead of golf, it was chess. As peculiar as it sounds, his Boston Celtics teammates, too, thought he was a genius at the game until Danny Ainge brought out the reality.

Ainge on finding the truth about Walton’s chess potential

During his appearance on ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast, the one-time All-Star revealed how the Celtics players grew weary of Big Red’s constant bragging about his chess expertise during their commercial flights.

Initially, mistaking the former 6MOTY for a prodigy, especially since he carried his computer chess set everywhere, Ainge and Jerry Sichting humbly brought him down to earth.

"When he was first with us, he would take a chess set, like his own computer chess set, with him. And he'd be sitting in his airplane seat… and he’s playing his computer chess. Then we're stretching in the morning, and he's telling us about Bobby Ficher and Boris Spassky and Queen 3 to Jack 7. We don't know what he's talking about," Ainge said . "So, we thought that he was a chess genius. Finally one day I challenged to play him and I beat him. Then, Jerry Sichting challenged to play him and beat him. We said, 'You can't ever talk chess again. You are not good.'"

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Ainge and Walton were always going back and forth

Ainge’s account of humbling Walton in chess with just one game each appears to be all in good fun. However, the banter between Danny and Bill was a constant, both on and off the court.

During the 1986 Eastern Conference playoff series between the Celtics and the Bulls, when a 22-year-old Michael Jordan scored 63 points against them, Ainge recalled that Walton was the first to curse him on the floor.

So, it is safe to state that despite the constant banter, their relationship remained respectful, which most likely contributed to the Celtics’ championship win in 1986. Their ability to push each other in both jest and competition helped forge a strong team dynamic that propelled them to success, which translated to success on the court.

Related: “I was losing the ability to breathe, it was getting worse” - When Bill Walton’s HoF career was nearly over before it even started