FILE – Television analyst Bill Walton stretches before the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between Oregon and Colorado, Jan. 2, 2020, in Boulder, Colo. Walton, who starred for John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins before becoming a Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the biggest stars of basketball broadcasting, died Monday, May 27, 2024, the league announced on behalf of his family.
He was 71. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) FILE – Denver Nuggets’ Dan Issel, left, guards Portland Trail Blazers’ Bill Walton as Walton moves towards the basket during their game in Portland, Ore., Feb.
12, 1978. Walton, who starred for John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins before becoming a Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the biggest stars of basketball broadcasting, died Monday, May 27, 2024, the league announced on behalf of his family. He was 71.
(AP Photo/Jack Smith, File) By The Associated Press Reaction from the basketball world to the death Monday of Bill Walton : ___ “My very close friend, fellow Bruin and NBA rival Bill Walton died today. And the world feels so much heavier now. On the court, Bill was a fierce player, but off the court he wasn’t happy unless he did everything he could to make everyone around him happy.
He was the best of us.” — fellow UCLA center, NBA star and Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. ___ “Bill was a special, kind, and genuine person.
I’m incredibly grateful for our close friendship, and the time we spent together on the air, out.
