Basketball Fans Remembered Bill Walton With Their Favorite Clips Of Him

Bill Walton died on Monday at the age of 71 after a lengthy battle with cancer, leaving a massive hole in the basketball world that cannot truly be filled. Walton was as genuinely unique a figure as the sport has ever had. An all-time great player who is remembered by most fans today as one of the most eccentric and entertaining figures in basketball, bringing his joy and verve for life and the game of basketball to our TV screens for more than 30 years after his playing career ended.

Walton was endlessly curious, constantly seeking out new information and gleefully presenting it to the public in the middle of game broadcasts, whether it made sense in the moment or not. What was so unique about Walton, the broadcaster, is rarely did he go on tangents that felt like rants, airing grievances about what the game or the world had become. Instead, he would excitedly discuss some historical fact about bridges, trees, animals, bodies of water, music, or whatever else popped into his head, and seamlessly go right back to yelling “THROW IT DOWN, BIG MAN” as someone dunked in front of him.

Two generations of basketball fans grew up with Walton, one with his NBA work on NBA and then ABC/ESPN, and another with his college hoops work for ESPN and the Pac-12 Network. The latter is when Walton really got loose, typically partnered with Dave Pasch (and later Jason Benetti) and actively tried to sabotage their professionalism. Upon news of Walton’s death on Monday, fans remembered him in the only way they could, by posting their favorite videos of Walton, living life, speaking about players, and calling games as only he could.