As many people have said (and was in that NYT article), the craziest thing about all this is that he meant so much to so many people on a personal level that hardly anyone is talking about his basketball career. And he was one of the best players of all-time. It's wild.
RIP Bill Walton
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This video brings to mind my brief personal encounter with Bill Walton.
In 2006, I was in San Diego for a conference and was out in an active neighborhood with fellow attendees on a Friday evening in August. At an intersection, a huge group of bicyclists pulled up to the intersection where we were going to cross the street.
Unmistakably, in a tie-dyed Dead-themed t-shirt, Walton was near the head of the pack, but on a bicycle he did not so noticeably tower over his fellow riders. In this sense, he was as incognito as someone 6’11” could be in a crowded streetscape in a buzzing neighborhood.
My eyes popped as he & cohorts stopped. He noticed my response, and in that moment while I put out the, "You're Bill Walton" look, his eyes met mine with a sly, self-assured smile that said, "Oh yeah, but be cool, nobody else has to know."
In the aftermath, I recognized it as a Critical Mass ride, and he was just a fellow among fellows. I spent the next afternoon biking with some of my gathered group to Point Loma and the nearby Cabrillo National Monument.
Long before I ever imagined I'd be someday rooting for UConn as a National Championship program, I found my favorite Top 25 teams and players elsewhere. I join with the others here who watched Bill Walton beat Memphis State w/Larry Finch and Larry Kenon, and then lose the following year in double OT to North Carolina State with Monty Towe, Tom Burleson, and David Thompson.
Halfway through my 71st year, and with prostate cancer nearly 14 years behind me, I've given extra pause to my considering the death of Bill Walton. Yeah, a hero.
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That left-fist punch hole is still in my plywood bedroom door at my childhood home since June 5, 1977...........
This is really good from Kareem: Bill Walton was My Rival, My Brother, and My Close Friend
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This was wonderful... Thx for sharing.
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Very nice article. Thanks for sharing. One of my now favorite photos is of Kareem and. Bill. It reminds me of myself with my three brothers smiling and just happy to be in their company. https://preview.redd.it/kareem-bill...bp&s=eed1f2bd857eb3636d22fc6763a56eaca3888ebc
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I think the last game I watched that he commentated on was the Oregon/UConn game in 2022. The whole time, I was thinking "My god, Walton is a terrible announcer" and there were times whoever his partner was was like "Wait, what did you just say?!". But still a big loss to the sport. RIP
All he did was praise us like nobody else the whole game
Is that your definition of terrible?
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Praising a team(s) doesn't make you a good announcer.
I guess it is
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Seeing someone die at 71 frightens me. That’s only 2 years away for me. Way too young! Don’t know any of the circumstances that led up to this but I’d like you all to take your health seriously. Get your yearly physicals and routine check ups. If you don’t feel well call your Dr., early detection can be the difference between life and death. Try to smell the roses more often. Tell those you love that you love them more frequently. Continued good health to you all and speedy recovery to those healing. Live your best life and shine your light.
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He was awesome...
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2M views · 24K reactions | Bill Walton taking the "T" to TD Garden! | NBA
Bill Walton taking the "T" to TD Garden! .
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I always enjoyed his commentary, he was unique and himself was like watching the game with your crazy uncle.
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They got all the new train carsHe was awesome...
2M views · 24K reactions | Bill Walton taking the "T" to TD Garden! | NBA
Bill Walton taking the "T" to TD Garden! .
Haha.
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That you always wished you could see more
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I personally loved him as an announcer. Yes, he would go off on his tangents etc. and I personally found those entertaining. But if you got through those he would always make incredibly insightful commentary about the nuance of the game. He would notice things and point them out earlier than most announcers because he was such a savant when it came to playing the game. I can't remember the specific game, but I think it was during DHs early years where Walton correctly noted an adjustment that UConn needed to make far before our staff did anything. It was those little things that he brought that were so valuable and lost when he gifting Pasch a cactus. His NBA announcing, before he went totally out there, was fantastic as well with Steve Jones. I didn't think his death would effect me much but reading all of the articles and stories about what a great human he was and how he approached life has really touched me. My only memory of him as a player was when I was 7 with the 86 Celtics and I remember him having a larger than life presence even then as a broken down player. I didn't know much about basketball but when Larry Bird sings your praises in the manner that he did, you stopped and watched. It also doesn't hurt that he's a superfan of my favorite band ever.
Just finished his 2016 autobiography , Back from the Dead - a remarkable journey. On this Father's Day, his love of his father, of being a father to his boys, his fatherly relationship with Coach Wooden, his love of life despite debilitating injuries and his dedication to helping others who suffered was truly a gift to everyone.
