Two literal and figurative giants of basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, had dominating college careers at UCLA, helping Coach John Wooden to five of his ten NCAA championships. By the time Bill Walton was drafted into the NBA as the first overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974, Kareem was an established NBA superstar with one NBA title (1971 Milwaukee Bucks) to his credit. Because of their shared college greatness, during separate UCLA careers, fans eagerly anticipated their forthcoming battles as NBA foes. The first historic meeting of the two centers as NBA rivals occurred on October 4, 1974 at University of Dayton Arena - a preseason game with Kareem's Bucks facing Bill's Blazers. Presented here is the rare and unique official program from that game, with a cover image of Kareem shooting his famous "sky hook." Our consignor attended the game in Dayton, OH and had the presence of mind to save the program. Many years later, on separate occasions, he had Walton and then Abdul-Jabbar (a much tougher autograph pursuit!) sign the cover, with both signatures applied boldly in blue marker. Sadly, the colorful and accomplished Bill Walton passed away in 2024. This historic game led to the Sports Illustrated cover ten days later (October 14, 1974) featuring Abdul-Jabbar and Walton, proclaiming Walton as "New Kid on the Block" and included a story about them facing each other in a professional game for the first time. Program measures 8.5" x 11" and remains in good to very good condition. Note there is some minimal discoloration from aging and a small tear in the upper right hand corner that does not impact the central image, signatures or wording. Basic cert from James Spence Authentication.