Very sad news. Boy did I have up and down emotions about Bill. He was "Darth Vader" in college basketball, I was not a UCLA fan. Of course I was a Laker fan and, IMO, his first few years, he was arguably the stiffest competition Kareem had to play against. In fact he whipped Kareem in the playoffs when he was with Portland. Then he went to the #$@^ Celtics! His foot injury kept him from being one of the greatest to ever play. He was awesome when he was healthy. So I did not like Walton the player. Then I grew to love the sportscaster. He had a unique style, which I happened to enjoy. I have no doubt he will dominant in the here after. Thank you for sharing a great life with us Bill!
Little known fact. His brother played in a Super Bowl. Only brothers to play for the NBA title and a SB.
Walton was the best passing center I have ever seen. Noah one year for the Bulls was really good but Walton set the standard with the Trailblazers. It was amazing.
Walton was genuine and loved all live music, not just the Grateful Dead. Before every college game, Walton would go and talk to the band director and thank the band for their contributions. The current Arizona Band Director is a friend of mine, as we marched together back in band, and Walton would ask about his family and was a genuine good person. Bill Walton will be missed by many.
Bill Walton was a great human being. He was generous and thoughtful. I always admired him for his fearlessness on and off the court.
Walton had a winning sreak that lasted almost 5 years with his High school and then at UCLA where they went 144-0. WOW.
As a big fan of David Thompson and the NC State team that knocked off Walton/UCLA in a "de facto" NCAA national championship game (that was actually a semifinal), I disliked Walton at UCLA. I pooh-poohed his 44 point masterpiece as a bunch of easy shots that he'd never get in the NBA. In my defense, I was like 14 years old. Then, I pulled against Walton when the Trailblazers took on the star-studded (Dr J, George McGinnis, World B Free, Daryl Dawkins, etc.) 76ers, and I was very happy as the 76ers won the first 2 games. Then, came the shock and dismay as the Trailblazers sliced and diced their way to 4 straight wins and the championship with Walton feeding those Portland guards for what seemed like 50 layups per game. And, Walton had the Trailblazers flying high the next season (looking like they were on their way to beating the record 69-13 season my beloved Wilt-led Lakers had established a few seasons before) until his injuries intervened. That was the year he won league MVP. But over the next few years, I grew to appreciate that I had witnessed the greatest clinic of team basketball ever when the Trailblazers had beaten the individually super-talented 76ers. And, that Walton (great scorer, passer, rebounder, defender) very well could have been the NBA GOAT if not for his injuries. So, I really enjoyed seeing him playing basketball again and getting another ring when he hooked up with the Celtics (who I already loved due to Bird). He still played great fundamental basketball and was a big help to that team. Despite not being on the same page politically, I always enjoyed Walton's banter and it's obvious he was just a really good, and good-hearted, guy (kind of like my feelings for Jo Noah). I too was quite surprised to hear of his death and very sad to see him go.
I met him in Atlanta after we'd just beaten UCLA in the semis. I was outside a bar, celebrating our victory with a beer or two, and see him walking by alone. I yelled out "Hey Bill." When he looked my way, I gave him a Gator Chomp. He smiled and walked over to me. I introduced myself and shook his hand. We talked for about a minute and he went on his way. Not much of an encounter, but I got the strong impression that he was a really good guy.
