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Jay Bilas, college basketball analyst
Heart broken.
That was the overwhelming feeling that washed over me when I received the call that Bill Walton had died at the age of 71. This man who was always larger than life is gone, leaving a legacy of basketball greatness and great character. great person. Bill Walton was a one-of-a-kind person who left everyone he came into contact with feeling special and among his inner circle. He was a generous and giving soul, always putting others before himself.
When I was a kid growing up in Southern California, my idol was Bill Walton.
He was, arguably, one of the greatest players in the history of college basketball — along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, known as Leo Alcindor during his college days — and remains so to this day.
Walton was the most complete center in the game: scoring, rebounding, shot blocking, passing, outside passing, and running the floor. There was no finished position, and only Kareem could match Walton’s record as winner and champion. In three seasons at UCLA, playing for the legendary John Wooden, Walton’s teams went undefeated as two-time national champions, reached the Final Four three times and compiled an 86-4 record. Walton was a three-time National Player of the Year and first-team All-American and was recognized as the nation’s top amateur athlete. I remember coaches telling me that Walton was the greatest center to play the game.
His NBA career was interrupted by injury. But when Walton was healthy, he was just as dominant as he was at UCLA. In the 1976-77 season, he played in 65 games, led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Championship, made the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams and was Finals MVP. Injuries will limit his dominance. He finished his career with the Boston Celtics in the 1985-1986 season, where he helped Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish win titles while earning the title of the NBA’s Sixth Man.
Walton has not only overcome an injury-riddled career; He overcame his speech impediment to become one of the most entertaining, entertaining and beloved broadcasters of all time. He was amazingly smart, ridiculously funny, and quick to make fun of you and himself. When everyone is thrilled to hear Bill talk about himself and his rich life in the game, he never fails to ask questions about you and shine the spotlight on others. He was really interested You.
It has been a pleasure — no, joy — to work with Walton at ESPN. From Maui to Pac-12 games, or the MegaCast of a college football game (where he was dressed as Uncle Sam), Bill not only never disappointed you, but he always put a smile on your face, just thinking about spending time with him.
She quickly realized that Walton was a better person than just a basketball player — and a Naismith Hall of Fame player. Before we went on the air, if I tried to discuss what we might encounter during the broadcast, Bill would raise one of his huge hands and say, “Keep it all up for the air, Jake.”
He liked to call me “Jake,” pretending he got my name wrong, and no one loved it more than I did—that Bill Walton would include me in his wild sense of humor.
On a radio show with Bill and Dave Pasch, Walton was waxing poetic about former Kansas coach Ted Owens when he stopped his monologue to say: “Jake, you’re too young to know who Ted Owens is!”
“Of course I know Ted Owens,” I replied. “He recruited me.”
Walton quickly responded: “Why?!” I almost fell out of my chair laughing.
Walton made everything fun. Whether he was detailing the history of the saguaro cactus or the mysterious powers of the desert, or quoting the Grateful Dead as if it were scripture, Walton was all about enjoying every minute of his existence, and making your presence around him meaningful and memorable.
He was a free spirit, with an endearing eccentricity. But deep down, he was looking for happiness in others. Man, Bill Walton was fun.
For his greatness on the floor, Walton carved out a special place in the history of the game that will never be forgotten. As a friend and colleague, Walton had a larger-than-life spirit. He was a showman. I will always love Bill Walton, he was a national treasure, there will never be anyone like him.
Rest in peace, Bill.
Love, Jake
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