The memories and tributes for UCLA legend Bill Walton have been in full force since he passed away on Memorial Day. It has varied from the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park honor to the NBA Playoff games, and even Pearl Jam paying respects to Walton.
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, one of the best big men to ever play the game, also had some special praise for Bill Walton.
While their relationship wasn’t the best over the years, O’Neal called him one of the “forefathers” and included Walton in the same realm as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"We definitely lost one of the Four Fathers of The Big Man Alliance."
Shaq pays his respects to Bill Walton pic.twitter.com/SxuPuZuKkz
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 29, 2024
“We definitely lost one of the forefathers of the big man alliance…Bill and I had an up-and-down relationship…It was up and down because I was sensitive…If you wanna become a legend, shouldn’t you listen to a legend?”
Shaq naming Walton with players such as those shows how good of a player he was, and it’s a special tribute from the legendary big man.