RIP Bill Walton

[Bomber36]

Sad news indeed. That will leave a big hole in College hoops announcing. The fact that he was just such a nice guy makes it even harder to swallow. He deserved to live a lot longer, but he sure did live life to the fullest while he could.

 

[HuskyHawk]

RIP to an all time player and personality. He made the game better, he made it fun. He will be missed.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Sad. I was wondering why he was absent in college baskeball this season.

 

[mcs333]

An all time great Deadhead. He said he attended 1000 Grateful Dead shows.
A BB player and announcer and fan of the game. Rest in peace Big Red.

 

[Husky68]

Lived in California for a while and my son played high school basketball against one of the Walton kids. He was at a game sitting near me and after the game (was regular bleacher type seats) and I was standing on where you normally sit and he was sitting down and then stood up. He was taller than I was even though I was standing on the seating boards and he wasn't. I'm (was) about 6'2". Everything about him was so big. Most noticeable about him was that he seemed to move/walk with very stiff ankles.
RIP.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

You guys might forget this but at a time when some UConn fans were still doubting Clingan he saw his professional potential.znd raved about him .

 

[gsmooth]

Very sad day loved Bill he will be missed. RIP

Bill Walton, NBA champion and basketball Hall of Famer, dies at 71

Two-time NBA champion and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton has died at age 71, according to a news release from the NBA.

www.wfsb.com

Condolences to his family. RIP, big guy and smoke all the bud you want up there in heaven.

 

[UConnJim]

I went to a small conference one time and Bill was the after dinner speaker. He mingled with everyone and he was the life of the party. He told great stories and had everyone laughing so hard that you didn't want the night to end. I will miss him calling college basketball games.

 

[nickp91]

I followed the Pac 12 here in big ten country because of Bill Walton

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Ugh. As a young guy, I was only around for his announcing days.
Absolutely loved watching late night PAC 12 games with him on the call. Larger than life and inspirational personality.
He will be sorely missed. Feels shocking and way too soon given how lively he was on calls even just a few months ago.

I was so curious what his ESPN schedule would be like without the PAC next season.

 

[dvegas]

I'm calling He's Gone > Drums > Space > He's Gone reprise 2nd set Thursday night, Dead & Company's next show at Sphere. Bill loved Drums > Space

 

[JakeTheDog]

“It's just a box of rain, or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there”

RIP Bill, you were a real one.

 

[CL82]

Sad news! Rest in peace big guy.

He was a great player and very annoying to listen to as a color guy if you cared about the game. Still, he was an original and a legend.

 

[BigTenFan]

Rest in Peace Bill Walton.
He lived and played on his own terms.

 

[Umami Zen]

Way too early for Bill. Was a unique player and a unique color commentator. Had a great eye for talent and appreciated BB being played the right way.

Never took himself too seriously. RIP Bill

 

[Devland]

I know everyone else is unique. But he was truly unique. Really liked the guy. RIP

 

[Dove]

There will be palm leaves waved over his remains and the smell of ganja in the air.

Rest in Peace, Bill.

 

[Kitaman]

Now I'm going to miss his annoying voice watching basketball. Bill lived a good one from what I can see.

 

[cohenzone]

Sad. Cancer sucks. RIP to one of the greatest basketball players of all time and a larger than life personality.

 

[August_West]

 

[willie99]

RIP, a sad day, we lost a legend

 

[I Bleed Blue]

Legendary player and absolute menace as an announcer in the best of ways. RIP

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I think at the moment he's forty minutes into a five hour conversation with Jerry that's already gone off on about seven tangents.

 

[JayKoz]

This one hurts.

RIP

 

[Jimdish255]

Bummed for a lot of reasons. Athlete, announcer, music lover, historian, and a guy who loved and seemed interested in every person he met. I don't think he ever forgot a person, place or thing he encountered, or a book he read. Though he may have forgotten universes only he visited, or what game he was at in the middle of a reminiscence. On the Westwood One post game broadcast of our previous Championship in 2013 he laid out the most effusive praise of UConn Basketball I'd ever heard. It was refreshing given the fact we always seemed to have naysayers regardless of our success. Never forgot that.

RIP Bill Walton - say hey to Jerry

 

[uchusky32]

RIP Bill.

 

[Deleted at users request]

 

[nomar]

A lot of people on this forum have said they'd mute the TV when he was on. I always enjoyed his ramblings. "Have you ever been to a volcano?"

Of course he's not in the HOF for his color commentary. A top-10 if not top-5 college player and then an NBA MVP. And his injuries robbed him of what would have been an even greater NBA career.

 

[husky8273]

shared this before but - rode a NYC hotel elevator with him years ago and talked about UConn and JC. Regret not asking about '78 at the Pyramids.

 

[BugsyCT]

Definitely one of a kind.