I was thinking about him recently with all the rumors that the NBA is heading back to NBC. He was hilarious on the air, and obviously a legendary figure as a player.
During his enforced hiatus from the NBA with broken foot
issues (1980-82) he attended law school. Joke was that if you weren't prepared for class, take a seat behind him.
In the fall of '82, he started playing one day a week for the Clippers in Nov-Dec, while still attending classes. He played intramural ball in that period, if you can imagine that. Then he was gone to the NBA for good after that semester.
Although his bones betrayed him, he was otherwise an absolute physical specimen: not an ounce of excess on the rock of muscle.
Maybe the best college players ever. He did everything well. Even though he was a shell of his former self, watching him play with Bird was amazing. RIP.
Great all around center - could score, pass, play d
Super bummed about this. Loved BW. One tough mf'er, too. Saw him at a Dead & Co show a few years ago, he was pure joy. Such a unique and alive personality. RIP.
had a bank shot that was unstoppable, especially in college.
Fantastic passer who understood basketball wasn't a one man game.
My son met Bill when he interned in L.A., said he was super nice and enjoyed his time with the group.Great moment getting a text with a pic of Bill and my son.
My son wasn't sure I'd know who it was.....:)
RIP
RE: The 30-30 on him was very good. I recommend it.
fantastic and unselfish player. As others have said, he was a great passer and totally dominant at UCLA. He was an equally talented and iconic broadcaster with an endearing, zany, personality and an incredible zest for living. RIP. God bless. Prayers to his family and friends.
run. But seriously a tremendous player from a great era of team basketball. What a passer. Too bad he body betrayed him. Great broadcaster too, and an nice guy.
you could always tell how intelligent, curious, and inquisitive he was about so many different topics. He was opinionated without being condescending. A true great athlete and person. As someone else said on social media, maybe he could not live in a world without his "beloved conference of champions"
RIP Bill Walton--truly one of a kind
(PS. I had no idea he had been sick was that reported?).
big time loss for basketball and humanity in general
one of the few guys it seems nobody has a bad word to say about. One other thing to miss with his passing will be that he was one of the last living true connections to John Wooden who was a true basketball legend. listening to him tell Wooden stories and repeat his "Woodenisms" was a real treat. Kareem is another connection but he doesn't talk about Wooden nearly as much.
I’ve seen a decent amount of chunks of games from him, seen a lot of his series vs. Kareem in ’77. One thing about Walton is that he went 110% on defense and would be very aggressive. In comparison to Bill Russell who would kind of pace himself and not over extert on the perimeter all game long, Walton would be everywhere. I think Garnett is probably the most similar defender to him I’ve seen, except Walton was stronger and a better rim protector (and KG was slightly more mobile).
At his best, he was kind of a hybrid of Duncan and Garnett. Besides Jokic who is head and shoulders the best passing big ever, Walton is up there with anyone else ever (Wilt, KG, Sabonis, etc.).
His HS + College resume speaks for itself. Just an absolute winner. Also, in my opinion the ’86 Celtics are the GOAT NBA team (’96 Bulls + ’17 GSW being in the mix) and a big reason for that was him coming off the bench for Parish. His synergy with Bird was insane, Draymond/Curry type of stuff. As good as prime Parish was, my hunch is that the Celtics were even better with Old Walton on the floor that year (pre-plus/minus data so just a guess).
Also in an era where everyone sounds the same, his uniqueness will be missed. Would have loved to share a drink or J with him and talk about whatever the hell he wanted to talk about. RIP big fella.
Pro career limited by foot injuries but still a member of two of the greatest championship teams of all time, the 1977 Trail Blazers and 86 Celtics.
Talk about a gut punch. I loved Walton. Awful news.
Great basketball ball player
He was before my time, but my old man loved him & thinks he would have gone down as an all time great if not for the injuries.
No doubt him & Jerry Garcia are having a drink in Heaven right now.
If he’d been healthier I think he’d be remembered as a great big on par with
Russell, Wilt and Kareem, though he was a different kind of player.
RIP to a legend and a god man.
In the fall of '82, he started playing one day a week for the Clippers in Nov-Dec, while still attending classes. He played intramural ball in that period, if you can imagine that. Then he was gone to the NBA for good after that semester.
Although his bones betrayed him, he was otherwise an absolute physical specimen: not an ounce of excess on the rock of muscle.
RIP
Probably a joint and not a drink, but yeah ...
He was a very cool guy and a great basketball player.
Great quote, great guy.
Fantastic passer who understood basketball wasn't a one man game.
My son met Bill when he interned in L.A., said he was super nice and enjoyed his time with the group.Great moment getting a text with a pic of Bill and my son.
My son wasn't sure I'd know who it was.....:)
RIP
Right, I saw that and it was good - he had quite an interesting life.
Walton would have been another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (still think he was the greatest player ever) but he had awful physical problems.
Also was a super bright guy and a great broadcaster.
He was too young to go.
Absent that, a top 5 or 10 player all time - and he's in the discussion anyway.
Plus he was a very interesting and unconventional dude.
RIP Bill Walton--truly one of a kind
(PS. I had no idea he had been sick was that reported?).
At his best, he was kind of a hybrid of Duncan and Garnett. Besides Jokic who is head and shoulders the best passing big ever, Walton is up there with anyone else ever (Wilt, KG, Sabonis, etc.).
His HS + College resume speaks for itself. Just an absolute winner. Also, in my opinion the ’86 Celtics are the GOAT NBA team (’96 Bulls + ’17 GSW being in the mix) and a big reason for that was him coming off the bench for Parish. His synergy with Bird was insane, Draymond/Curry type of stuff. As good as prime Parish was, my hunch is that the Celtics were even better with Old Walton on the floor that year (pre-plus/minus data so just a guess).
Also in an era where everyone sounds the same, his uniqueness will be missed. Would have loved to share a drink or J with him and talk about whatever the hell he wanted to talk about. RIP big fella.