RIP Bill Walton
- Thread starter vegaspaul82
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So , sad . One of the best college players ever.
Great college basketball player. Brutal string of injuries shortened his NBA career. RIP.
Ironic that he passed away on the day his beloved Conferences of Champions played its last event.
One of my all time favorites. Was a kid watching the NCAA final and he had one of the best games ever.
The great former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden tells a story about his all-American player, Bill Walton.
Bill grew a beard, knowing that facial hair was against team rules. He said it was his right.
“You believe that strongly?” Wooden asked.
“Yes, Coach.” Walton said.
“Bill, I respect people who stand up for what they believe,” Wooden replied, “and the team is going to miss you.”
That afternoon Bill Walton shaved his beard.
Bill grew a beard, knowing that facial hair was against team rules. He said it was his right.
“You believe that strongly?” Wooden asked.
“Yes, Coach.” Walton said.
“Bill, I respect people who stand up for what they believe,” Wooden replied, “and the team is going to miss you.”
That afternoon Bill Walton shaved his beard.
College big man great skill, footwork, touch and passing...a better pro career output was cut short by injuries and hard to see this terrible disease end his life.
I will miss the stories. No one made watching college hoops more fun. What a long strange trip it’s been. RIP.
This is sad news. I don't recall hearing that he was ill.
I'm just old enough to remember him playing at UCLA and then his injury marred NBA career. One of the greatest college players of all time.
At one time he was an equally brilliant analyst although in his latter years he was far more storyteller than analyst.
Jay Bilas wrote a wonderful tribute for ESPN.com which I've attached below. He absolutely loved Bill Walton. It's worth a few minutes of your time.
May Big Red rest in peace. I'm sure he'll meet up with Coach Wooden and Jerry Garcia. What a long, strange trip indeed.
www.espn.com
I'm just old enough to remember him playing at UCLA and then his injury marred NBA career. One of the greatest college players of all time.
At one time he was an equally brilliant analyst although in his latter years he was far more storyteller than analyst.
Jay Bilas wrote a wonderful tribute for ESPN.com which I've attached below. He absolutely loved Bill Walton. It's worth a few minutes of your time.
May Big Red rest in peace. I'm sure he'll meet up with Coach Wooden and Jerry Garcia. What a long, strange trip indeed.
Jay Bilas: Man, was Bill Walton fun
Jay Bilas grew up idolizing Bill Walton, who was larger than life on and off the court and he was about finding the joy in others.
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I was wondering why I didn’t see him at the concerts this weekend. This is really a bummer. Fabulous player. Tremendous Deadhead. Member of The Grateful Dead Hall Of Fame. Keep on truck’n Bill!!
Legend. Enjoyed his broadcasts and the cultural anecdotes. RIP.
Would stay up late once in a while just to hear Bill do PAC 10 basketball.RIP.
His spirit will be in the Sphere this summer
I hope this opens up but if not the WSJ article by Jason Gay this morning is a tremendous tribute.
For some reason, those UCLA teams were the one dynasty that I loved. Just seeing the clips of his broadcasts is wonderful. I remember buying Workingmans Dead (just remembered the album was american beauty) at a record store on S Orange Ave close to the Parkway. Not sure where that record is any more but I will think of Bill the next time Box of Rain plays on my spotify. Bill was my contemporary, from the other coast but I think of him (to borrow a Yiddish word) as my landsman.
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Over the last day browsed and read a lot on Bill Walton, very little about the player 73 game vs memphis, 77 finals, 86 with celtics, very much about the person that he was
Walton played the position like no other center I could remember. His ability to pass out of the post, move without the ball, put himself in position to score. You might call it “old school”, but it was like big man poetry.
The ESPN 30 on 30 was a great watch. He was unique.
I never watch pro hoops but I did watch him play college and thought he was one of the best college centers ever and the UCLA record while he was there verifies it.
I wasn't a big basketball fan when Bill was in his hey day, but I recently watched ESPN's 30 for 30 about Bill Walton. I have since become a big fan of his. It sucks that we lost him. R.I.P. Big Guy.
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