Tag: Bill Walton

Patrick Beverley wants Bill Walton award for announcers

This would be a cool tribute.

We are a couple of weeks removed from the death of former UCLA Bruins basketball legend Bill Walton. The discussions of Walton are still coming in. Patrick Beveley was on his PatBevPod and was asked about the best announcers in the game of basketball.

Beverley put Walton at the top of his list, and had this to say about the legendary big man:

“Bill Walton. I think it should be a Bill Walton award. For the best announcer of the year.”

Beverley went to Doris Burke second on his list, Mike Breen was third, Kevin Harlan came in fourth and Hubie Brown rounded out the list.

Walton passed away at the age of 71 on May 27th, 2024. Walton played his College Basketball at UCLA from 1971-1974. He then was the first overall draft pick in the 1974 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. During his time at UCLA, he won two national titles and was part of an amazing 88 game winning streak.

Report: Big Ten Network to hire some familiar faces to Pac-12 fans

The Big Ten expects to hire Pac-12 Network talent to cover their new West Coast teams, per John Canzano.

The Pac-12 Conference as we knew it may be dead, but that doesn’t mean the people behind the scenes and on television who covered the Conference of Champions have to go away with it.

The Big Ten Conference, the new home of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA, plans to hire a lot of the on and off-air talent that once worked for the now-defunct Pac-12 Network.

In John Canzano’s online newsletter, which is available with a fee, the commissioner of the Big Ten, François McGillicuddy, laid out their plan to Canzano when asked if they plan to hire Pac-12 Network staffer and local staff in Seattle and Eugene.

“We do, although the on-air portion will likely not be announced officially until later in July. The Pac-12 Network had incredibly talented people both on-air and behind-the-scenes, and we have been fortunate to add some of those folks,” he said. “It gets back to our goal of immediately representing all four schools and their fan bases.

As it relates to the Big Ten, no one should know those schools better than the Big Ten Network. The conference is now at 18 schools, versus 11 when the network launched, and admittedly there is a lot more knowledge required. Adding staff with an immediate and expert sense of programs, traditions, and rivalries is a must for us.”

Although the network itself had some problems, the on-air talent such as Yogi Roth, Ashley Adamson, Roxy Bernstein, Ann Schatz and a whole host of others are the best in the business and should continue to do thing in their respective sports out here on the West Coast.

Unfortunately, the man who coined the term “Conference of Champions,” Bill Walton, won’t be one of them as he was lost to the world to colon cancer.

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Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay share hilarious Bill Walton stories

Walton’s interviews and calls were the stuff of legend, and often hilarious to boot.

Recently passed Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Walton was a force on the basketball court, as anyone who saw him in his prime with the Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers can easily attest. But Walton was also a very outspoken man among friends and on the call during his post-playing career as a broadcaster and ambassador for the sport.

Walton’s interviews and calls were the stuff of legend, and often hilarious to boot. The hosts of the CLNS Media “Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay!” podcast took some time on a recent episode to tell their own tales of interacting with Walton over the years to pay their respects to the all-time great center.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear their stories.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Grateful Dead honor Bill Walton at latest performance

Another Walton tribute.

The late former UCLA Bruin Bill Walton’s relationship with the Grateful Dead has been well-documented for over 50 years.

A lifelong “Deadhead,” Walton introduced fellow teammates to the band, notably former Celtics teammate and current Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. In his lifetime, Walton was believed to have attended north of 1,000 Grateful Dead concerts, a testament to his fandom and commitment to the band.

This week, during their performance at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the Grateful Dead honored their former fan. Displaying his name and number 32 in tie-dye, the Grateful Dead paid their respects to their larger-than-life fan, Walton. As the concert ended, the Grateful Dead put up a picture of Walton wearing a Grateful Dead shirt, beaming with joy.

One of their most famous fans, Walton’s legacy in the NBA, in broadcasting, and his charity work often links back to his “peace and love” attitude and Grateful Dead fandom.

The NBA honored Bill Walton with tie-dyed warmups ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals

The NBA found such a great way to honor Bill Walton ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals.

The NBA continues to mourn the loss of basketball legend Bill Walton, with league commissioner Adam Silver sharing a special tribute ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals’ first game.

All of the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks players wore specially themed shirts during warmups that read “WALTON” on them in tie-dye colors, honoring Walton’s regular fashion choices stemming largely from his Grateful Dead fandom.

How perfect is that? This is such a cool gesture for the league to make in honor of Walton, whose family was in attendance at TD Garden in downtown Boston for the game.

With the first game of the series being played in Boston, the Celtics gave out special Walton tie-dye pins to fans in attendance and held a moment of silence for the Celtics great.

We know Walton would’ve loved seeing all the tie-dye in Boston as his Celtics got ready to contend for another NBA title. It just felt right.

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College Sports Wire rememberes best Bill Walton calls

Which moment was your favorite?

UCLA Bruins legend Bill Walton made waves as a player and as a broadcaster, although his broadcasting career might go down as one of the best in history.

His best quotes, calls, and moments circulated after the unfortunate news of his passing on Memorial Day. Walton’s Chewbacca moment with Dave Pasch went viral, as did his winning a car on Wheel of Fortune (yes, really).

Andy Patton of College Sports Wire listed the best 10 calls of Bill Walton’s career as a broadcaster, and it had plenty of memorable moments. There are so many to choose from, but here is the top spot on College Sports Wire’s list.

Bill Walton was a national treasure on all fronts, and his time as a broadcaster was as magnificent as ever. His colorful attitude and generous heart will also be remembered by everybody, but this cupcake moment behind the mic is a classic.

Which Bill Walton call was your favorite?

Robert Parish on the Boston Celtics’ only letdown in the 1986 championship

As odd as it sounds, we know it is true after hearing it from one of the key members of the team, Hall of Fame Boston big man Robert Parish.

The 1985-86 Boston Celtics are widely considered to have been one of the best (if not THE best) full-season and playoffs ball clubs to have been assembled in the nearly eight-decade history of the league. And you will find few analysts or fans of the team who would elevate another season’s roster and results above them in the hierarchy of greatest Celtics squads of all time.

But even after having said all of this, there are still some things about that team that members of that historic squad have letdowns to look back on. As odd as it may sound, we know it is true after hearing it from one of the key members of the team, Hall of Fame Boston big man Robert Parish.

Chief broke down the story on a recent episode of the “NBA History and Storytellers” show vial CLNS Media. Check it out below!

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Shaquille O’Neal pays respect to the late Bill Walton

Shaq pays respect to Bill Walton.

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 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.

The unique way Klay Thompson honored Bill Walton after passing away

Klay’s special tribute to Bill Walton.

There have been many tributes for UCLA legend Bill Walton after he passed away on Memorial Day. This includes tributes by the Padres, NBA teams during the playoffs, and even Pearl Jam at a concert in Seattle.

Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson paid tribute to Walton in a unique way — by going on a hike.

Thompson detailed this in a video released on social media.

“In honor of Mr. Walton the outdoorsman he was, I’m going on a hike today. I got my Kyrie Irving-esque walking stick…The whole time I will be thinking of Bill…I want to give my condolences to Luke and the rest of the family. Shoutout to the city of Portland.”

It’s a special tribute for Thompson as he pays credit to the “outdoorsman” that Walton was.

It’s just another chapter in a long list of tributes to the UCLA legend, and he will be remembered for a long time.

Boston Celtics team owner Wyc Grousbeck on the passing of Bill Walton

Fare thee well, Bill — you will be missed by a lot more of us than just Wyc — but we should all hear his words. 

It is not all that often in today’s NBA (or yesterday’s if we are being honest), that an NBA team owner will not only take it upon themselves to share their feelings about the death of a player that played for the team they own — and even less common when that player did so decades before said owner was in the picture.

But on the news of the passing of Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Walton, Celtics lead Governor Wyc Grousbeck opened up about how the loss hit him, and how the world was the poorer for the loss of such a shining soul. Fare thee well, Bill — you will be missed by a lot more of us than just Wyc — but we should all hear his words. 

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what he had to say.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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