RIP Bill Walton

[benefactor]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2024/05/27/bill-walton-death-hall-of-famer-ucla-legend/73858807007/
:depressed

[benefactor]

https://youtu.be/6KkrccHEAqg?si=we-32Fkw5Qwc_B5J

[heyheymymy]

Shams confirms unfortunately

1795140812420022521

[BackHome]

Aww man that is so sad

[bluebellmaniac]

RIP

Also one of the best announcers ever.

Thank you for all you gave.

[cd98]

Loved his "throw it down big man" and other quips during the games. There are a lot of good sports announcers, but no one commentated with the passion and complete love of the game that Bill Walton had. I've missed him ever since he retired from TV.

[cd98]

And can you imagine Bill Walton commentating for a Wemby game? We missed out on that.

[Russ]

No. No. No.

[tonight...you]

Aw man... This darkened my day. He was my guy.

[Russ]

RIP

Also one of the best announcers ever.

Thank you for all you gave.

Walton was also one of the greatest players of all time. Something that's pretty much forgotten.

In his (very short) prime Walton was just as good as Abdul-Jabbar in his (very long) prime.

In fact, I remember Abdul-Jabbar being asked whether there was anything about Bill Walton that surprised him -- Abdul-Jabbar replied, "Yeah, that he's white."

[exstatic]

Walton was also one of the greatest players of all time. Something that's pretty much forgotten.

In his (very short) prime Walton was just as good as Abdul-Jabbar in his (very long) prime.

In fact, I remember Abdul-Jabbar being asked whether there was anything about Bill Walton that surprised him -- Abdul-Jabbar replied, "Yeah, that he's white."

Walton was the beginning of the Portland medical fuckery.

[John B]

One of my favorite commentators. His self-deprecating jokes are hilarious. RIP Big Red

[C-Dub]

RIP Big Fella! One of my favorite sports TV personalities of ALL TIME!

[Spurs Homer]

Damn


RIP

[daslicer]

As a Spurs fan I'll never forget him calling game 6 in '03 against the Lakers. They were some funny moments in that game Bill had. I'm paraphrasing but I remember Bill saying "Tim Duncan scores on the whole entire Lakers organization. Tim Duncan is doing it all today and he's doing it against the greatest defender in his era in Robert Horry. This is the greatest moment in Spurs history for Pop and the whole entire organization. The Spurs future is bright Duncan is young, Parker is young, Manu is young." All those quotes still stick out to me today from that game.

[baseline bum]

Walton was also one of the greatest players of all time. Something that's pretty much forgotten.

In his (very short) prime Walton was just as good as Abdul-Jabbar in his (very long) prime.

In fact, I remember Abdul-Jabbar being asked whether there was anything about Bill Walton that surprised him -- Abdul-Jabbar replied, "Yeah, that he's white."

Walton was way better than Kareem until Portland wrecked his career by shooting him full of painkillers to play on a broken foot in 1978. Walton made his teammates better, no way Kareem is ever leading Maurice Lucas, Bob Gross, and Lionel Hollins to a title.

[mudyez]

RIP Bill!

[baseline bum]

As a Spurs fan I'll never forget him calling game 6 in '03 against the Lakers. They were some funny moments in that game Bill had. I'm paraphrasing but I remember Bill saying "Tim Duncan scores on the whole entire Lakers organization. Tim Duncan is doing it all today and he's doing it against the greatest defender in his era in Robert Horry. This is the greatest moment in Spurs history for Pop and the whole entire organization. The Spurs future is bright Duncan is young, Parker is young, Manu is young." All those quotes still stick out to me today from that game.

Though I'm still mad at him saying Kobe was making the twin towers look like the twin sisters in Game 1 of 2001 WCF. :lol

[baseline bum]

Walton was the beginning of the Portland medical fuckery.

One of the saddest what ifs. What if he got drafted by an organization with any integrity that would have sat him and let his broken foot heal, damn the shot at a repeat.

[scott]

Loved Walton the announcer (I'm not old enough to know Walton the player), and was always confused at people who hated his announcing style.

He was full of such subtle, sarcastic humor that made him an elite color man. My favorite running line was his existential quips "What IS a foul?"

His baseball debut was quintessential Walton

1795145912257327443

[PhantomDashCam]

1795217348233740396


He loved calling me Jake, pretending to get my name wrong, and nobody loved it more than I did -- that Bill Walton would include me in his wild sense of humor.

On one broadcast with Bill and Dave Pasch, Walton was waxing poetic about former Kansas coach Ted Owens when he paused his soliloquy 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 retorted, "For what?!" I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.

:lol

[spurs10]

https://youtu.be/6KkrccHEAqg?si=we-32Fkw5Qwc_B5J Love this. Thanks for posting. He knew what he was talking about and the comparison of Bobo's style to Romantic music is just sublime.

[Mugen]

RIP. Dude lived a hell of a life tbh.

The Diaw bit is absolutely classic.

[Maddog]

One of the saddest what ifs. What if he got drafted by an organization with any integrity that would have sat him and let his broken foot heal, damn the shot at a repeat.

The year following the title Portland was 50-10 before the injuries. This was a time when teams rarely won 60.

[timtonymanu]

Why couldn’t they have taken Reggie miller instead, tbh?

[baseline bum]

Didn't realize his last social media post was a picture of him and Victor

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3mXC3LODii/?hl=en

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/27/19/85396057-13464985-Fans_shared_tributes_in_the_comments_of_Bill_Walto n_s_final_Inst-a-9_1716835884876.jpg

RIP to Walton, maybe the most skilled bigman to ever play.

[Robz4000]

Knew him more for his commentary but my dad got to watch him in person both at UCLA and with the Blazers. Has him on his top 10 all-time list tbh.

[baseline bum]

Knew him more for his commentary but my dad got to watch him in person both at UCLA and with the Blazers. Has him on his top 10 all-time list tbh.

If you ever watch tape of him on that 77 Blazers team he looks like Duncan on the block, Jokic in the high post, and Russell getting his team into the fast break. I remember in 1997 seeing a scouting report before the draft saying Tim was like Walton and got pissed, not knowing it was one of the greatest compliments you could give a bigman.

[Robz4000]

If you ever watch tape of him on that 77 Blazers team he looks like Duncan on the block, Jokic in the high post, and Russell getting his team into the fast break. I remember in 1997 seeing a scouting report before the draft saying Tim was like Walton and got pissed, not knowing it was one of the greatest compliments you could give a bigman.

:lol watching the 30 for 30 as we speak

[Robz4000]

baseline bum iirc you were the first one to clue me in on how the Blazers fucked Walton after he broke his foot and my pops doubted it until this 30 for 30

[baseline bum]

baseline bum iirc you were the first one to clue me in on how the Blazers fucked Walton after he broke his foot and my pops doubted it until this 30 for 30

If I remember right he sued the Trail Blazers for shooting him up with painkillers to send him out on a fucking broken foot.

[manufan10]

RIP to one of the best commentators. I never got to watch him play, but his commentary was always top notch and was a staple of my youth.


https://youtu.be/Jtz-3PB3enY?si=YJV6405Ghvd6DsWg

[lefty]

maybe the most skilled bigman to ever play.
CROFL

[Dex]

As a Spurs fan I'll never forget him calling game 6 in '03 against the Lakers. They were some funny moments in that game Bill had. I'm paraphrasing but I remember Bill saying "Tim Duncan scores on the whole entire Lakers organization. Tim Duncan is doing it all today and he's doing it against the greatest defender in his era in Robert Horry. This is the greatest moment in Spurs history for Pop and the whole entire organization. The Spurs future is bright Duncan is young, Parker is young, Manu is young." All those quotes still stick out to me today from that game.

I still remember that call...I forget who was with him, but they were like "Bigger than the 99 championship!?"

At the time, that 2003 win over the threepeat Lakers did feel more powerful given the hell they had given the Spurs in years prior

[paperboy77]

"Throw it down bigman!!!!!"

[scott]

RIP to one of the best commentators. I never got to watch him play, but his commentary was always top notch and was a staple of my youth.


https://youtu.be/Jtz-3PB3enY?si=YJV6405Ghvd6DsWg

Classic Walton! Man, he had so many amazing, quick quips.

Also... fucking Tom Tolbert sucked.

[jjspur]

Roger Murdock (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000717/?ref_=tt_ch): [breaking character] The hell I don't! LISTEN, KID! I've been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA. I'm out there busting my buns every night! Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes! - from the movie Airplane.

RIP Big Red. Your reputation as a player even made it into the movies. You will be missed as a commentator as well.

[TD 21]

RIP to Walton, maybe the most skilled bigman to ever play.

As much as I loved Walton the broadcaster and respect nostalgia and your opinion as someone old enough to have seen him play, not a chance.

The game has evolved too much that no one from that era or before is the most skilled anything. So many moves hadn't even been invented yet and they were much more robotic than fluid.

[GAustex]

Oh bless your heart

[Tyronn Lue]

Why couldn’t they have taken Reggie miller instead, tbh?
God reads the forum and he's a Parker fan.

[Knoxxx]

https://youtu.be/LPGWnSwzj0M?si=11GXh5U0eYZyZ4_b

[Obstructed_View]

There was a game where someone threw a pass to Samaki Walker and he just flubbed it, causing a turnover. In a frustrated voice, Walton said, "Aah, where would ya like it, Samaki??" My best friend and I say that to each other as often as possible. My kids now say it if someone drops any thrown object. :lmao