Some people won't think it's so horrible. As a matter of fact, some will cheer the announcement that because of back injury that was so bad he couldn't sit for long stretches, Bill Walton has announced he will give up announcing.Walton, in a statement today: "As I return after a grueling multi-year, life-threatening, life-changing ordeal with back problems, it is time to dedicate the rest of my life to service. ... Thanks everybody -- for everything."
For many, Walton was a polarizing play-by-play man. Never one to withhold an opinion, you thought Walton either delivered verbal bon mots filled with liquid genius or that he was "theeeeeeeee worst announcer in the history of the NBA. No, not the NBA, the worrrrrrrrrrrld."
That's where the love-him or hate-him divide came. Because Walton delivered what seemed to be his most profound statements with a combination of hyerpbolic bombast and deadpan seriousness, you couldn't tell if he actually meant what he said or was just saying it to have a blast.
Love him or hate him, you can admire Walton's rise to the top of the broadcast profession. Painfully shy and hampered by a severe stutter when he was growing up, it was quite the testament to his hard work and perseverance that he was forthright and clear enough for people to enjoy ... or to loathe ... as a broadcaster.
Ironically, Walton's second-career comes to a close for the same reason his first career as one of the game's great centers -- and one of the best passing centers in history -- did not reach its potential: injuries.
Strangely enough, the intertubes don't have a lot of quality Walton-esque broadcast clips available. Here are a couple of the better ones.
Um, On Second Thought
"Pau Gasol is the anti-Kwame Brown"
Bill Walton is Appalled
Comments (Page 1 of 3)
easily the best walton moment of pure incredulity-
hes doing a game in the late nineties/early 2000s and as hes talking up rasheed wallace he says something along the lines of "he might be the best player in the league." later, wallace scores against robert horry in a particularly fancy fashion if i remember correctly, and walton just goes off on horry saying how hes gotta do better defensively. the b&w guy says something like "but bill how can you expect horry to stop sheed? you just said he might be one of the best players in the league?" to which bill, completely unabashed says - "no, i just said he might be THE best player in the league." i hated him as a commentator but i must admit he cracked me up at times.
blow hard bill will no longer torture the world with his big mouth. i hope coach john wooden changes his phone number so he does not have to hear it too. so long to the carrot top of basketball.
John Wooden and Bill Walton are the best of friends. They talk all the time. Man, I'm so sorry to hear Walton has to retire as a sportscaster because he dearly loves the game of basketball and has so much more to give. He was one of the greatest UCLA Bruins of all-time and he would have been one of the greatest professional players of all-time as well if not for injuries. You undoubtedly have some haters out there, Bill, but rest assured, you will always be LOVED in Los Angeles! God bless you and I hope you have many wonderful years ahead with your family and thousands of friends! Count me among them!
I was in high school during Walton's run @ UCLA and he, along with his teammates, were inspirational. I love people who call him a "blow hard" or "radical" or whatever. I call him a person of consistency & integrity who fought on the ball court and protested in the streets of LA during the Viet Nam war. I disagreed with his position on the war, but if he and his fellow protesters were helpful in helping to end the war, than they all deserve our respect. Walton is a unique human being, warts and all. All the best to him and his family on his next journey....
Rest easy, old French Bear (Bruin). Your over-the-top sarcastic hypebole will be missed, in a negative way by some, in a positive way by others, as will your incongruous support of the DeadHead counter culture, as a usually clean shaven, pro-establishment Jock, and baritone horn player, in a environment of usually bearded, anti-establishment Nerd, guitar pickers. Take care.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL TO SEE JUST HOW FAR HE COULD HAVE GONE HAD HE A GOOD SKELETAL STRUCTURE. GOOD LUCK BILL !
I flew in first class one time with Bill Walton from Chicago to Seattle. He was the nicest guy you would want to meet. It was a riot to see him try and wedge himself into the lavatory on the airplane. No wonder he has a bad back. I am 6'5" tall and barely fit. I can imagine what it must be like for Walton.
Congratulations. Stupidest comment ever.
I am appalled that he retired! But very very very happy I won't have to hear that loud mouth blowhard any longer.
Oh suck one. Bill Walton rocks..he's funny and you always knew when he was being serious and when he was joking. Kudos to a guy who had a stuttering problem, overcame it, and became a broadcaster. Most of you couldn't be a broadcaster if you spoke like Shakespere. So suck one. Thank you, godspeed and good luck to Bill Walton. An original.
Bill Walton was a great player and knows the game well as an announcer. However, he has always been a political lefty pain in the ass, and always arrogant. Very sorry about his back problems, but glad he is off the air.
it takes a rapist to know one...
I thought he contradicted himself frequently on air, in addition to being somewhat overexcited at the wrong times. I won't miss him as a broadcaster.
Lame!
Walton might have been a good player,but great,I don't quite fathom.
His 10 year career he played in only 468 regular season games and started in 117 of them.
His stats really do not project Hall of Fame status,but I guess,he must've done more than a few things right in career to achieve that goal.
Just by looking at stats,Darryl Dawkins should be the next big man enshrined.
I guess he is okay, but his voice is very irritating so I won't miss that part. Good luck Bill.
Bill played basketball at the highest level it's ever been played. '86 Celtic and '77 Blazers. To a real basketball fan, that says it all. Besides the outstanding professional accomplishments, Walton remains the greatest collegiate player/athlete in history. One of the greatest Californians too. I'd love to go to dinner with him and talk about the Grateful Dead. Rock on Bill. We will miss you.
Marv Albert just stood up from his table and proclaimed: YEEESSSSSSSSS!!! I second the Kobe Comment. Kobe got away with it seriously.
The Basketball Hall of Fame is for ALL basketball athletes, not just NBA stars. Joan Crawford is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Walton was three time University MVP, won the Sullivan award at Ucla for Amatuer Athlete of the Year. Won the NBA MVP awards as well, leading Portland to the Championship. In his least unhealthy season, with Boston, he was more productive, coming off the bench, than Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, the all stars who started ahead of him, he played 80 or the 82 regular season games that year. No, he would not have deserved the Hall of Fame on his pro production alone, perhaps, but being an MVP at the pro level isn`t bad. Darryl Dawkins had no university production, he went straight from high school into the Nba. As for Walton`s politics, like the time when Dave Cowens went skiing while Walton had a foot injury and the press were over the top, complaining Walton was the skiier and was faking his injury, reporting on the personal lives of people, not just on Walton`s politics, is all too often what someone chooses to make up, and all too often has little contact with reality. Walton was a conformist, a team player, with an untrue radical image. When he competed for countries like YugoSlavia, he was with the US team, and helped the opposition at the US team request, for a less unever work out, Not because he agreed with or supported YugoSlav politics, but because he was supporting the US.
Bill was one of the best, he could be on my team anyday and he did it his way. an original "Let's play" kind of guy.