RIP Bill Walton

[gomper]

Gone at 71. A great player and truly his own man. Great representative of Deadheads, and a unique broadcaster. Rest easy, big man. 

[BillsPride12]

Man this is a tough one.  Larger than life personality.  RIP

 

[4merper4mer]

Seemed like a really good dude.

[ChevyVanMiller]

Just loved his hippie personality and the great love that he had, both for the game and for life in general.

 

Rest in peace, Bill.

[US Egg]

He had the dubious job of following “Lew Alcindor” at UCLA. 
 

He answered the call.

[Mike in Horseheads]

Loved listening to him when he was a announcer, just nobody explained the game in a way that made sense

[Augie]

He was so full of life, and always entertaining. 

 

RIP

 

 

P.S. - And he was The Master of using the glass, a lost art. 

 

 

.

Edited May 27 by Augie

[stuvian]

I admire people who can find happiness in everyday existence. He was one of them

[Augie]

 

For the younger crowd who may not remember him because his NBA career was setback by injury. He was a true great, a technician around the glass. 

 

“Look back at the best NBA moments from Bill Walton's Hall of Fame career. His most famous game was the 1973 NCAA title game, UCLAagainst Memphis, in which he shot an incredible 21 for 22 from the field and led the Bruins to another national championship.”

 

He made 21 of 22 in the NCAA Title game, and not because he was Shaq and trampled you. 

 

Classic Bill Walton:

 

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.

[skibum]

Bill Walton was an American treasure. NBA games were infinitely more entertaining when he was on the microphone - His wit and wisdom, his depth of character, his infectious spirit - There is, was, and never will be anyone like him in broadcasting. I was just a little too young to have watched him play, but I know his game was at times transcendent. 

 

Thank you, Bill, for all the great basketball memories. You will be missed. Throw it DOWN, Big Man!

 

 

[Augie]

Heaven must be a very cool place right now with Bill Walton and Jerry Garcia getting reacquainted. 

[Bad Things]

River gonna take me
Sing me sweet and sleepy
Sing me sweet and sleepy
All the way back back home
It's a far gone lullaby
Sung many years ago
Mama, mama, many worlds I've come
Since I first left home

 

Going home, going home
By the waterside I will rest my bones
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

 

Going to plant a weeping willow
On the banks green edge it will grow, grow, grow
Sing a lullaby beside the water
Lovers come and go, the river roll, roll, roll

 

Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

 

 

God bless you, Bill!

[Mark Vader]

9 hours ago, US Egg said:

He had the dubious job of following “Lew Alcindor” at UCLA. 
 

He answered the call.

"Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up-and-down the court for 48 minutes."

 

                                                                                                                                                -Roger Murdoch

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

12 hours ago, Augie said:

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.

 

 

[Gregg]

RIP Bill.

 

[Royale with Cheese]

His playing days were before my time but I enjoyed watching him commentate.  Great personality.

 

One of his son's lives in my area and his kid plays basketball in the same league as my son.  He is about 6'9.

[Teddy KGB]

19 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

Just loved his hippie personality and the great love that he had, both for the game and for life in general.

 

Rest in peace, Bill.

the game and all the musicians he loved.  

[Irv]

Seemed like a really good dude.  R.I.P.

[Logic]

Obviously most of the world today knew Bill Walton as a great broadcaster and an all-time NBA great.

I knew him more from Deadhead land. He was a close friend of the band, and claims to have seen over 1,000 Grateful Dead and Dead related shows in his lifetime. From when he was a still-active bearded redhead NBA player in the 70s until the modern day, if you were at a Dead show (particularly on the west coast), you could look out into the crowd on the floor and usually see all 6'11" of him towering over everyone, smiling and singing along, his arms outstretched in his massive condor wingspan. Imagine being behind THAT guy at a concert? Sheesh.

Various words of love have been sent Bill's way by members of the Dead community the past few days. John Mayer, who plays with Dead and Co nowadays, said Bill's special talent was to reorient you so that you had the same relentless positive and optimistic outlook on life that he did. So that you always saw the light. Mayer said "I think it's pretty good advice that when times get tough, everything will be okay if you just pretend to be Bill Walton".

RIP Bill. Thanks for bringing so much light and joy to so many for so long.











 

Edited May 28 by Logic

[Augie]

48 minutes ago, Logic said:

Obviously most of the world today knew Bill Walton as a great broadcaster and an all-time NBA great.

I knew him more from Deadhead land. He was a close friend of the band, and claims to have seen over 1,000 Grateful Dead and Dead related shows in his lifetime. From when he was a still-active bearded redhead NBA player in the 70s until the modern day, if you were at a Dead show (particularly on the west coast), you could look out into the crowd on the floor and usually see all 6'11" of him towering over everyone, smiling and singing along, his arms outstretched in his massive condor wingspan. Imagine being behind THAT guy at a concert? Sheesh.

Various words of love have been sent Bill's way by members of the Dead community the past few days. John Mayer, who plays with Dead and Co nowadays, said Bill's special talent was to reorient you so that you had the same relentless positive and optimistic outlook on life that he did. So that you always saw the light. Mayer said "I think it's pretty good advice that when times get tough, everything will be okay if you just pretend to be Bill Walton".

RIP Bill. Thanks for bringing so much light and joy to so many for so long.











 

 

He’s no Waldo in the crowd! The guy was easy to spot! I was listening to Dan Patrick and others talk about him. Apparently he was really about 7’2”, but he thought 7 footers were looked at like freaks so he always put himself down as 6’11”.