''The disagreements happened the first time I saw him with his long straggly hair and his sweaty headband and he said, 'I look good!' '' Jones said yesterday from Philadelphia, on a joint call with Walton.

Walton, as if spitting out pits, said, ''He's a gunning guard.''

Jones said: ''He thought he was a shooter when I first met him. So Bill sets his record for most field goals in the N.C.A.A. final, but they were all layups. Wooden never let him two feet from the basket, and he came to the pros and said he had to shoot. It was the ugliest thing. He said, 'Give me the ball,' and it went 'clank.' ''

They developed a friendship on a Trail Blazer team riven by infighting. ''Steve Jones saved my life,'' Walton said. ''I came in as the highest-paid player in team sports and the quality of my life went down because of the selfishness and greediness from players interested only in their own publicity. It just blew me away. Steve Jones taught me how to be a professional. Unfortunately, as Steve and Coach Wooden are so quick to point out, I'm the slowest learner they ever saw.''

After a year as Portland teammates, Jones retired to call games for the Blazers, and Walton led the team the next season to the N.B.A. championship. But Walton was still afflicted with a severe stutter, which did not prevent Jones from interviewing him.

''He was my worst interview,'' Jones said.

''Steve would ask a question, answer it, ask another, answer it, then say, 'Thanks for the time, Bill,' '' Walton said.