Bill Walton, man of joy

The UCLA legend, who died Monday after a long fight with cancer, was a larger-than-life figure, both for what he did on the court and off it. And was loved for it. Plus, Tennessee adds more scoring punch, Arkansas and Auburn do the same, Gonzaga plans for the future, and more.

Author

Mike Miller
May 28, 2024

Bill Walton, the college basketball world will miss you.

1. Bill Walton, 1952-2024

Among Bill Walton’s many talents — Hall of Fame basketball player, beloved announcer, Pac-12 devotee and Deadhead would be on the marquee — nothing matched the UCLA legend’s sheer unbridled joy of basketball.

That joy manifested itself throughout Walton’s life as a player, as an color analyst and most of all as a fan. A 7-foot bundle of joy, speaking at considerable and detail, and often with Walton-specific aphorisms that couldn’t contain his exuberance for basketball, or, for that matter, life.

Walton, who died Monday at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer, filled his life with basketball. And for him, that meant delighting in the game that made him famous. Though he also took joy in seemingly anything that came his way as someone supremely comfortable in his own skin.

Pac-12 late nights were Walton’s domain, a pastiche of analysis, history lessons and humor, refined from more than 30 years of working as a for broadcasters that included CBS Sports, NBC, ESPN and ABC.

The man had stories, whether it coordinating the 1980s Boston Celtics attending a Grateful Dead concert (the delight at telling this story!), his interest in Native American culture, his days as a student protesting the Vietnam War and questioning authority, or generating more stories because of his zest for learning about everyone he met. (If you want the unfiltered, full-stream of consciousness, no commas Walton, try this Bill Simmons podcast.)

And that was only his post-basketball career.

His numerous on-court achievements — 3-time NPOY, 2-time national champion and Final Four MOP, 3-time consensus All-American, NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, 2-time NBA Champ among them — don’t fully encapsulate his greatness, particularly at UCLA. Watch this clip of Walton rebounding, running the floor, blocking shots, delivering perfect outlet passes, and so much more. (If you prefer his peak NBA era, try this.)

His time with the Bruins was the capstone of college basketball’s greatest dynasty. The Bruins won a record 88 consecutive games, posted back-to-back 30-0 seasons, which included perhaps the single-greatest performance in any game. His 44-points against Memphis State on 21-of-22 shooting (along with 13 rebounds, two assists and one block) remains the record for most points in an NCAA tourney title game. This thread expands on that performance.

Only a loss to undefeated NC State in 1974 prevented Walton from winning three straight titles (he called that 80-77 loss a “stigma on my soul”).

Didn’t matter. Walton is considered among the greatest college players of all time, perhaps even the best. His marvelous passing, shooting and pre-injury mobility would’ve made him an ideal big man in today’s game, which might be why he continued to delight in watching today’s game.

I spoke with him at the 2023 Maui Invitational and why basketball imbued such joy within him.

“Basketball is the celebration of life. It’s very much like drinking tequila. When you’re playing basketball, you have to wait, but only for the opening tip. Drinking tequila, you’re waiting for that opening sip. And then, like a bike ride, like a great book, like a great walk, like a great concert, you never know what’s gonna happen. It’s every element of life, which encompasses so many different things: Leadership, team, adversity. But like everything else, it always comes down to choices, decisions, sacrifice, discipline and honor. Because it’s a team game. And the way that basketball evolved and changed, it’s just a thing of beauty or see the way it’s played at its highest levels right now.

The Denver Nuggets are an absolute delight. One the endlessly wonderful things about Nikola Jokic is the fact that at his pre-draft measurements, when they were testing his talent and his skill and his physical package, his standing vertical jump was 17 inches. And he’s the best player in the world today.

A team at the top of their game, when the ball is moving, and the team is playing with one purpose, with one goal, and the execution of the polished and developed skills, when it all comes together, it’s like all the other great things in your life. It’s like watching a great movie, it’s like going to a great concert, it’s like being with your family.

Finding that joy wasn’t always easy. Walton’s body famously betrayed him in the NBA with countless surgeries. Walking after his career could be chore. He spoke openly about depression.

Yet the man was a joy because of the joy he found in the beautiful game. That attitude pervaded his life. If you haven’t watched the ESPN documentary that aired last year, “The Luckiest Guy in the World,” find some time for that today.

Monday delivered endless amounts of basketball tributes to Walton, and even more for the joy Walton brought to fans and other players.

2. Everyone loved Bill Walton

Perhaps the greatest thing Bill Walton did in the last 5-6 years was turn X/Twitter into a delightful place, even for just a day. The sheer volume of love and fondness expressed on that (usually) doomscrolling site was enough to give a person some hope that yes, people can be decent.

The Pac-12 and UCLA did their part, as one would expect.

Here are some of my favorite tributes for Walton (it’s impossible to capture them all):

But I’ll end with this one. Seems fitting.

3. Did Vols add enough scoring with Lanier?

When it comes to replacing All-American players who averaged more than 20 ppg, it’s usually best to turn to the Moneyball move: You’re not replacing Jason Giambi with one player. You’re replacing his aggregate totals.

It doesn’t always work, but it just might work for Tennessee next season to fill the scoring void left by Dalton Knecht.

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