Bill Walton: The Most Unique 6th Man in NBA History with Bob Ryan

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Күн бұрын

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@PorkyJohnson328 4 ай бұрын

Rest in peace.To a man,who when healthy, was one of the greatest centers of all time.

@cindyknudson2715 4 ай бұрын

😢 It feels like there's been a disturbance in the force... The exuberance Bill Walton gave to the 86 Celtics experience was a beautiful gift. May he rest in peace.

@mshahnazi7636 4 ай бұрын

One of the greatest joys of being a Celtics fan for over five decades was when Bill Walton joined the 1985-86 NBA Champions Boston Celtics. Every night was a joyful ride, and that Celtics team put on a clinic. RIP Bill Walton. ☘️☘️☘️☘️💚💚💚💚🍀🍀🍀🍀 #18

@Fernando-tr7ki 4 ай бұрын

The great "Human Being" Bill Walton overcame a lot of adversity throught his life from speech impediments to serious foot injuries and yet he never stopped laughing and being greatful at life...Bill thanks for all the great memories RIP

@richardpare3538 4 ай бұрын

Walton was the best gift the basketball gods ever gave us, the Celtic fans of that era.

@Dazed735 4 ай бұрын

Team player for sure. RIP Big Red Head .

@adamr6794 4 ай бұрын

after Bird, McHale and DJ

@markmorgan6741 4 ай бұрын

I love you Bill.

@zachgates7491 4 ай бұрын

What a shame. Walton was a character who made basketball more fun.

@janyshendrickson3833 4 ай бұрын

Bill Walton, in his prime, was truly a great Center. Even though he was eventually plagued by injuries, the Celtics saw value in Bill. And, his grateful attitude towards the Celtics, his nonstop enthusiasm, his positivity, and his willingness to take one for the team, kept him in a pivotol role with the Celtics. RIP, Mr Walton🙏

@steverenom.299 4 ай бұрын

Well said.

@Kaharris.96 4 ай бұрын

Dude could play. Many injuries slowed down his career. He showed one last time how great he was in '86 with a Championship in Boston.

@arautus 4 ай бұрын

I was so happy for Bill after he won the title with the Celtics in 1986. If not for his devastating injuries, he would have been an all time great center.

@genosim63 4 ай бұрын

So true. I believe he'd be one of the top 5 to 10 centers ever in the NBA, if not for injuries. It was karma for him to play with Larry and the Celts at that point in his career, as well as a blessing for us fans in Boston.🤞. I clearly remember his title with Portland like it was yesterday. He really had a "team play" mind from the center's position. And Bob Ryan is a great hoop guy that pays respect to that. RIP Bill,🙏

@robertmasina7388 4 ай бұрын

One can be happy for him going back 9 years before the Celtics when he won a championship with the 1977 Trail blazers.

@arautus 4 ай бұрын

@@robertmasina7388 of course!

@DrummerDanVa 4 ай бұрын

Bill was one of the most interesting interviews. Unlike many former athletes who are pretty one dimensional in regards to their interests he could pontificate on many different subjects. The world was a better place with him in it. RIP! 🙏

@carolynclaire5241 4 ай бұрын

This really sucks. I really like Bill Walton! He is already missed. 😭😭😭😭 You took that light with you. We were just happy to bask in it for a little while.

@JrJVintage1956 4 ай бұрын

Larry Bird said his favorite player he ever played with was Walton... 'nuff said.

@Gregory-sm9pf 4 ай бұрын

Bill Walton thank you for playing for the Boston Celtics and being a big part of winning sweet 16 for us, your basketball abilities shined throughout that year and you reminded everyone why you are one of the greatest centers to have ever played in the history of the NBA , thank you Big Red,,,,,,,,, RIP 🥲

@GeorgeALopez-s1q 4 ай бұрын

Bill Walton was as real and human as can be we lost an American icon today

@yomommaahotoo264 4 ай бұрын

Few check out with such a positive legacy left behind.

@buckchile614 4 ай бұрын

Big Red is now truly one of the Grateful Dead

@myfrestuff3453 4 ай бұрын

Thank you Bill Walton, for blessing our Earth with your wonderful life! R.I.P.

@73Trident 4 ай бұрын

Did not he had cancer. RIP Big Red you made basketball fun to watch. You will be missed greatly.

@rob42378 4 ай бұрын

One of the few times I truly wish I were just a few years older, if only to have been able to watch and enjoy that ‘85-‘86 Celtics team. Still, being able to enjoy Bill as one of the true original commentators has provided me countless memories growing up as a fan of the game in the early- to mid-‘90’s, and for that I will be forever indebted to him. Rest in power to the MVP of living life with a perpetual smile on one’s face.

@mc76 4 ай бұрын

I have been a Celtics fan since 1960, so I have seen some good teams. That '85-'86 group was the best I have ever seen. There are six more teams with more wins, but no team will ever break the '85-'86 squad's 50-1 (including playoffs) home record. That's Joe DiMaggio and Cal Ripken territory.

@genosim63 4 ай бұрын

I'm 61. You are so right my friend. He added to a legacy that I will always be grateful for. 👍🙏

@donmorton7282 4 ай бұрын

Had the privilege to watch him play with the Celtics during that championship season. Just awesome

@jaykay6387 4 ай бұрын

Walton was as talented as any big man to ever play. And Bob Ryan is the most entertaining and knowledgeable basketball writer ever, nobody understood the game better.

@GregB-uc1ky 4 ай бұрын

Small Town boy in Ohio fell in admiration for Bill back in the 70's. And being on the greatest team in '86 was the culmination of that admiration. ESPN has a wonderful 30for30 on Bill. RIP. Join Jerry and the guys and jam on! 💯💪❤️🙏

@jeffrey3498 4 ай бұрын

R.I.P. Bill. You were a great one.

@steve8170 4 ай бұрын

I was at UCLA with Bill Walton & those were great days I’ll always remember….. Bill was a special guy & I’m grateful for witnessing Bill Walton on & off the court

@elwin38 4 ай бұрын

William Theodore Walton III🏀🏀RIP🙏🏾🙏🏾

@OldDog-se9ev 4 ай бұрын

Back in the early 1970s, I remember watching Bill (center) for the UCLA Bruins on a black and white TV. 21 for 22 shooting, Amazing! Then I joined the US Navy and just before my first submarine patrol in 1977, I remember watching Bill and the Portland Trail Blazers win the NBA Championship. His passing, shooting, defense, rebounding... team play. Amazing! I got to the US Submarine Base (Connecticut) in 1980, and I became a Celtic fan (call me slow). The Celtic team without Walton was amazing. Later on Bill joined the Celtics and I said, "OMG!" After retiring from NBA as a player (@#$@# the injuries), Bill become an amazing sports broadcaster. Bottom line: God bless you Bill for making us smile.

@realg5276 4 ай бұрын

I love Bill Walton and I was a Laker fan. Nobody loved basketball more than Bill.

@irishgrl 4 ай бұрын

Loved his enthusiasm & his appreciation of Larry Bird ❤️

@paulmitchell6755 4 ай бұрын

Pillar of the sport. Great man

@husq48 4 ай бұрын

Loved him calling games, sure gonna miss that, "throw it down big man!"

@joemello7888 4 ай бұрын

Too sad for words.

@DeborahBuffington 4 ай бұрын

So sad to hear this news. I bet Larry is sad today. They had so much love for each other. Just sad news

@jefffinlayson3002 4 ай бұрын

Rest in peace to Bill Walton, a great player and broadcaster

@kikovazquez7277 4 ай бұрын

Thank you Bob Ryan!!! I lived in Portland during the identical period that Bill was there from his rookie year to the championship, to the dominating post-championship year when they were as dominating as any team in NBA history going 50-10 before the season effectively ended with Bill's injury.. And Portland didn't have a team of Hall of Famers like the Celtics team that Walton was an explosive catalyst for off the bench - one other Blazer was a bona fide all-star in Maurice Lucas having his best years. The others had their talent and competitive drive massively elevated by Walton's indescribable greatness. The Blazers were one congenitally damaged foot away from inevitably becoming a major dynasty, as would any team with a healthy Bill Walton.

@kevinclarke1222 4 ай бұрын

A great one for sure!

@vivahernando1 4 ай бұрын

Always looked at Bill Walton as the Gale Sayers of the NBA

@clifforddriver9434 4 ай бұрын

He had a completely separate career from the Celtics. He was a starting center. One of the games best. Had he not had problems with his ankles. And a disciple of the late John Wooden. God bless both of them.

@dmill1136 4 ай бұрын

Loved when Walton came to Boston. Just noticed that Bill like Larry shoot with their right hands and both use their left hand when writing.

@tyrone4u559 4 ай бұрын

Bill Walton: Much respect for the legacy of the great Bill Walton. Not only was he a great player, he was undoubtedly one of the most erudite and entertaining commentators ever. Listening to Bill could be both flustering and mind expanding. R.I.P.

@mariehubbs7597 4 ай бұрын

NMRK SENDING LOVE and PRAYERS

@MarkWinterrowd 4 ай бұрын

He was touting vegetarianism at about the time he won the NBA title...had a t-shirt that said "Be kind to animals - don't eat 'em". Great guy...RIP

@nomehdrider 4 ай бұрын

Oh no!

@cindyknudson2715 4 ай бұрын

My words exactly.

@NBAHistoryCLNS 4 ай бұрын

Same exact.

@Gregory-sm9pf 4 ай бұрын

😢

@radar0412 4 ай бұрын

Bill Walton made passing fashionable again in the NBA. He was an NBA Center with a point guard Mentality for the 1977 World champion Trailblazers. The best all around player I had ever witnessed for a very short period of time in 77 and part of 78. Magic and Larry would come later to carry the torch of the all around players. Albeit smaller versions.

@ironman-ch7rr 4 ай бұрын

People always wanted to diss him but you can only control injuries to a small degree. The talent was always there. The attitude he had was top notch. Name another great that would have been happy in his position. Can't think of one. God bless you Bill. You were truly special.

@idoru999 4 ай бұрын

This Boston team had the highest basketball IQ ever assembled on the court. And when Larry played with Bill this IQ was over any scale. Even today with LeBrons, and Jockers on the court - it was something special. RIP Bill Walton!

@PorkyJohnson328 4 ай бұрын

What a shame. Now he and his buddy Maurice Lucas are both gone

@lecleland1 4 ай бұрын

You talk about his time in Boston. He was also great in Portland. After Portland won the championship, the next year the Blazers were 55-10 and then he got hurt. He was very good.

@rezamalihi7120 4 ай бұрын

RIP Big Red! ... Doubt there's ever been a better front court rotation than Bird, Parish, McHale, Walton, Wedman, and oh even Kite.

@Amick44 4 ай бұрын

Only one close was mid to late 60s Sixers. Wilt, Cunningham, Walker, Luke Jackson.

@JohnHowlett-bq6xo 4 ай бұрын

Bill Walton was a gift from God, to be able to play one full year with the Celtics, and win the Championship. Bill Walton was a miracle to even be healthy. His dream was to be a Celtic, and everyone knew it. Larry Bird pushed him to regain his former Glory, and Bill Walton left the Celtics as the Greatest Champ of all. God gave him one Great incredible Basketball Year, where his injuries temporarily halted for his dream to be Completed.

@jessebassett4635 4 ай бұрын

Sad day! Heaven is so much more fun now! RIP!

@markmorgan6741 4 ай бұрын

If Bill Walton had great health he could have been the greatest player of all time.

@Amick44 4 ай бұрын

At least at one point in history

@deeptime5581 4 ай бұрын

Hope the guys win this one, today, for Bill!!

@Banner18-h1r 4 ай бұрын

I was ready to look for him in the Finals. Was gonna look for a Grateful Dead /Celtics combo tee shirt to give him. Really bummed out

@romanclay1913 4 ай бұрын

In 1972 at UCLA, we students protested against Nixon's Vietnam War by first occupying the Administration Building and then had a mass sit-down at the intersection of Wilshire and Veteran. Bill Walton was always there. Thank you.

@buzzard6410 4 ай бұрын

To quote Bill back to himself, "this is the greatest travesty in the history of mankind"

@АндрейКондратьев-д4л 4 ай бұрын

RIP

@erichazell9716 4 ай бұрын

"Greatest one-two center punch in the history of the game" - maybe, but in the 1982-83 season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob McAdoo averaged 37 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks to Parish and Walton's 23.5, 16, and 2.5 in 1985-86.

@stephengrantham6877 4 ай бұрын

R.I.P. Big Red.

@djnkosi 4 ай бұрын

🏀💔🙏🏽

@dougcmelik2442 4 ай бұрын

As an aside, I noticed both Bill and Bird write left-handed and do everything else right...

@husq48 4 ай бұрын

Forget the Celtics, talk about his championship with the Blazers and the Enforcer Maurice Lucas!

@Amick44 4 ай бұрын

Wonderful team to watch. Heartbreaking how Bill feet fell apart and the Blazers' chances with it. And actually, Lucas had nagging injuries as well. And he was never quite the same Force he had been, either.