One of one. That is the only way to describe UCLA great Bill Walton.
Often lauded as one of the best college basketball players of all time, Walton won two NCAA national titles and three NCAA Player of the Year awards, Walton was truly a mesmerizing and iconic figure to Bruins nation.
A native of La Mesa, California, Walton’s impact was so great that the Los Angeles Clippers, formerly the San Diego Clippers, started their franchise to land the all-time legend.
Though Walton would go number-one overall to the Portland Trailblazers, his impact on basketball goes beyond words, and his time at UCLA is only a part of his illustrious career.
Good morning, Winners. Thanks so much for rocking with the Morning Win today.
I don’t feel like I have anything particularly profound or poignant to say about Bill Walton that you haven’t heard or read since his death in the last day or so. But I did think it was important for me to say something about him considering the absolute legend he was. It wouldn’t feel right to start this newsletter otherwise.
There’s already great Bill Walton content on the site for you to check out:
And that’s where I want to take it from here. I wouldn’t say I have a specific broadcast moment I go back to with Walton in it. It’s not because none of them are particularly memorable — it’s because there are so many of them.
I’m not going to lie to y’all — at first, I hated hearing him on the mic. I’m a cynic at heart. And my younger self took Walton’s (uh, let’s call it) unique style in the booth as too self-aggrandizing for my taste. I just wanted to hear about the game, bro. Please, relax on this other stuff.
As I got older, though, and the world began to evolve around me and my worldview changed along with it, I understood exactly what was happening. I understood why Walton was like this and, more than that, I even grew to appreciate it.
“He’s a beautiful player who plays a mental game. He has what seems to have been lost in the world, which is peripheral vision. When you walk down the street in life, when you drive a car in life, when you ride a bike in the world on a street, it is staggering the lack of peripheral vision. But Nikola Jokic is the antidote to so many of our problems in the world.”
Read that once, and you’re like, “Dude, what?” Read it a second and third time, and you’re like, “… Yeah, actually. That makes sense.” That’s Bill Walton.
He’d say things I didn’t even necessarily agree with but I’d still find myself yelling at my TV, “Yeah, Bill!” and it’d be so confounding to me. Like, when did that happen? The kid who grew up taking the game so seriously, all of a sudden, found a bit of time to laugh and crack a smile about something that had nothing to do with it.
And that was the point. Well, kind of. I think it’s clear Walton seriously believed everything he talked about. That’s why he used his platform the way he did — he wouldn’t say something unless he believed it. But he also made it a point to have a blast whenever he could. He did his work with joy. And why wouldn’t he?
He was one of the greatest basketball players on Earth. Then, he parlayed that into a pretty sweet broadcast gig where he got to travel to incredible locations and watch basketball for free. That’s a pretty sweet life, if you ask me.
I’m glad Bill Walton got to live it and I’m glad we got to experience him exactly how we did. Rest in peace, legend.
Take a bow, Rafa
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
I don’t know if this is the last time we’ll see Rafael Nadal at the French Open, but if it is, what an incredible run.
His loss to Alexander Zverev on Monday might mark the end of an era. It’s only Nadal’s fourth loss in 116 matches at the French Open.
This may have been his last match at Roland Garros.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be the last time if I’m going to be here in front of all of you,” Nadal told reporters afterward. “Honestly, I’m not 100% sure, but if it’s the last time, I enjoyed it.”
He’s always been notorious for his aggressive style of play, which has taken a toll on his body over the years. These days, the bill has come due.
Reasonably, this is probably it for him. Selfishly, I hope it’s not. But even if there’s still some gas left in the tank, I’d rather see him walk off the court than limp. He should do whatever is best for him at this point.
The Boston Celtics are back in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years after sweeping the Indiana Pacers.
Boston may have had the easiest path to a championship we’ve ever seen. They played:
The Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler.
The Cleveland Cavaliers without Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen for half the series
The Indiana Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton for half the series.
The Celtics are obviously a great basketball team and, even without those injuries, should’ve been considered the favorite in the East to make it to the Finals, anyway. But, man. It doesn’t feel like Boston has been tested at all to this point.
The thing about winning it all, though, is that nothing else matters. If Boston wins a championship, guess what? The Celtics are champions. They don’t have to apologize for anything.
Let’s get these Finals underway, man. June 6 can’t get here quickly enough.
Bill Walton won’t see his beloved UCLA play a Big Ten game, and he never did want to, anyway.
It is lost on no one that Bill Walton, easily the most prominent and public ambassador for the Pac-12 Conference, died shortly after the league’s last sporting event, the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament, ended. Walton died on Memorial Day weekend, right after the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament ended on Saturday night with Arizona beating USC.
The Pac-12 Baseball Tournament marked the last live-game broadcast for the Pac-12 Network, which signed off on Friday night. Play-by-play man Roxy Bernstein offered a farewell address of sorts on the air. One night later, for ESPN2 — in what was ESPN’s last Pac-12 game broadcast — Bernstein offered a similar, albeit shorter, final on-air note. Bill Walton worked with Bernstein, Dave Pasch, Ted Robinson, and other broadcasters on Pac-12 games. His death, by preceding the first USC, UCLA, Washington, or Oregon game in the Big Ten (and the first Arizona or Arizona State game in the Big 12), is eerie and remarkable in that regard.
It certainly makes us all reflect on how connected we are to the passions that drive our lives. Rest in peace, Bill Walton. You were a foremost champion in the Conference of Champions.
Steph Curry took to Instagram to share a tribute message for NBA legend Bill Walton.
On Monday, the NBA shared heartbreaking news — legendary NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton has passed away at 71 years old after a battle with cancer.
The news of Walton’s passing swept through the NBA community before his former team, the Boston Celtics, took the court against the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Current and past players, coaches and fans took to social media to share touching stories about Walton and pay tribute to the two-time NBA champion. Stephen Curry took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message for Walton.
RIP to a legend on and off the court. You might hear it all the time but he Always brought the BEST energy and humanity to every room he walked in to. True definition of lining his values, always with a smile! Prayers to the entire Walton family
Walton played 10 seasons in the NBA, winning two championships with the Portland Trail Blazers. Walton had a long-decorated resume from his playing days with the NBA that included two All-Star appearances, two All-NBA teams, Finals MVP and league MVP.
At the college level, Walton won two NCAA championships with UCLA and two NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards. Walton was a three-time All-American at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden.
Following his playing career, Walton became a beloved broadcaster for college basketball, especially the Pac-12 conference.
Former UCLA Bruin legend and college basketball broadcaster Bill Walton passed away on Monday at age 71.
Bill Walton, known as one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time, passed away on Monday after a long bout with cancer. He was 71.
The modern college basketball audience will recognize Walton for his gregarious and eccentric – and often fully outlandish – broadcasting career, which included calling games for ESPN and the Pac-12 Network all the way up into this season. But Walton was an absolute menace on the court, playing three seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1971-1974.
Freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity back in Walton’s era, but once he made the squad he instantly became the best player in the sport – winning National Player of the Year three straight years and leading UCLA to a pair of national championships, twice winning Final Four Most Outstanding Player. His 44 points against Memphis in 1973 remains a national championship game record.
The Bruins went 86-4 during Walton’s three years, including a still-standing Division 1 record 88-game winning streak. The streak was snapped by Notre Dame – in a game Walton was playing with a back brace due to a broken spine suffered earlier in the season.
And that’s really the story for Walton. A titanic, singularly dominant force who dealt with significant, life altering injuries which he played through as best he could – leading to a magnificent Hall of Fame career and a lifetime of pain.
Big Bill led the Portland Trail Blazers to their first and to date only NBA championship – averaging 18.5 points, 19 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.7 blocks in the series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Injuries prevented him from playing at that level again, but he adjusted and became a quality reserve for the Boston Celtics in the 1980’s and ultimately found a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Walton’s death sent a wave of tributes across social media, ranging from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Barack Obama, and the timing of his passing – one day after the final regular season sporting event of his beloved Pac-12 Conference – feels at once heartbreaking and profoundly serendipitous: which is exactly how Walton would have wanted it.
We have very sad news to pass on. Former UCLA and NBA legend, Bill Walton, has passed away after a long battle with cancer according to multiple reports on this Memorial Day.
Walton, a three-time college player of the year averaged 20.3 points and 15.7 rebounds per game at UCLA, winning two national titles with the Bruins during an 88-game winning streak. He went on to star in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers his first four years at the next level, averaging 17.1 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Walton made two All-Star teams and was named the NBA’s MVP in 1978.
He was a part of two NBA title teams, one with Portland in 1977, and one with the Boston Celtics in 1986. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 27, 2024
Most recently, Walton was one of the most electric personalities as an NBA announcer, often calling some of the Pac-12 and West Coast games, and spotlighting on others.
Walton was 71 years old.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
Bruins Nation lost a legend today. In a post issued by the NBA Communications office, the league announced that Bill Walton passed away on Monday.
Playing for the Bruins from 1971-1974, Walton won two NCAA national championships in 1972 and 1973 while being named a three-time national player of the year. The first-overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft, Walton won two NBA Titles with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics and the NBA Most Valuable Player award in 1979. Inducted into both the NBA and NCAA Hall of Fame, Walton was an icon both on and off the court.
Known for his acting in commercials, TV, and movies, as well as his die-hard love for the Grateful Dead, Walton is an icon for the Bruins, who will be dearly missed.
Most recently, a commentator for ESPN’s college basketball coverage, Walton’s name and number also hang in the rafters, with his number 32 jersey retired in Westwood.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shared a very moving tribute to his friend, the late Bill Walton.
One basketball legend paid tribute to another as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote a moving farewell for his longtime friend and competitor, Bill Walton.
Walton died on Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer. During the 1970s, he and Abdur-Jabbar were two of the sport’s shining stars, as they both played for John Wooden at UCLA and went on to become generational talents in the NBA for their respective franchises.
“My very close friend, fellow Bruin, and NBA rival Bill Walton died today,” Abdul-Jabbar said in his post. “And the world feels so much heavier now.
“On the court, Bill was a fierce player, but off the court he wasn’t happy unless he did everything he could to make everyone around him happy. He was the best of us.”
His longtime ESPN broadcast partner Dave Pasch paid a loving tribute to his longtime screen partner and friend on the network’s SportsCenter on Monday, one that captured what a special relationship these two had on and off the air.
This is a seismic loss for the world of basketball, and few knew Walton as well as Pasch did after the two worked together for so long on the sideline.
Pasch also recounted a hilarious story about how a recent gag between the two about Walton “auditioning” for Chewbacca in Star Wars went viral as fact, to the two’s delight.
Dave Pasch talks about the Chewbacca audition story that Bill made up on air in February, their last game together and the last time Dave saw him pic.twitter.com/CD6twoCEz6
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 27, 2024
Walton’s death leaves a massive hole in the broadcasting world, as Pasch will continue the duo’s legacy.
What are some of your favorite Bill Walton memories?
News broke on Monday afternoon that former UCLA and NBA star Bill Walton passed away at 71 years of age. The Hall of Fame center battled cancer before succumbing to his illness, per the NBA.
Walton, a two-time NCAA champion and two-time NBA champion, had an illustrious basketball career that saw him win Naismith College Player of the Year three times and play 10 seasons in the pros.
Over the years, Walton became known for his hilarious — and generally off-topic — comments while calling games and doing radio spots, and fans quickly took to social media and shared their favorite Walton highlights.
It was a lovely way to remember the spontaneous and life-loving man.
There will never be another quite like Bill Walton.
Bill Walton laughed at himself; cared deeply about people history ignored; and was one of the greatest athletes to ever walk the Earth. A planet he both adored and transcended. RIP 💔 pic.twitter.com/9rCWruhGUs
— ‘Miserable’ Pablo Torre 🕳️ (@PabloTorre) May 27, 2024
Fav #BillWalton memory: @dpshow had him on radio in like 02. DP said hi. Bill starts talking about the universe, man's place in the cosmos, his typical Bill Walton thing. After 8 minutes of Bill talking nonstop, DP just says "well Bill, We gotta let you go. We're out of time."
