Bill Walton, who passed away Sunday at 71, represented many things to different people, from college basketball legend, NBA champion and All-Star, to quirky broadcaster and beloved elder statesman of the sport.
Yet everyone seems to agree Walton stood as a larger-than-life figure. ESPN personality Mike Greenberg shared a couple of hilarious anecdotes, along with a life lesson he says he learned from Walton, in a touching tribute on Monday’s Get Up.
First, Greenberg recalled a surprise appearance Walton made in 2006 on ESPN’s Mike & Mike show. Greenberg and co-host Mike Golic hosted a special episode, Mike & Mike: The Wedding, holding a wedding for a couple of Florida Gators fans on the show.
“Bill was just in town, and he knew we were doing this, and he said, ‘That sounds like a lot of fun … can I come to that?'” Greenberg recalled.
As Greenberg shared the tale, video of that wedding showed Walton smiling and applauding as the couple walked down the aisle.
“The vision of him right there, just towering over absolutely everyone … Bill came ’cause it sounded like fun, and that’s what he did — he went where the fun was,” Greenberg said.
Those are the types of stories many in the sports world shared upon news of Walton’s passing. While fans remembered him for his Hall of Fame career and his quirky yet insightful commentary, many who knew him shared stories of deep friendships.
Greenberg shared another colorful tale involving a Walton appearance on Mike & Mike.
“Bill called in to do his regular appearance,” Greenberg said. “Our segment was about 11 minutes long. And he told our producer, Liam Chapman, ‘Just tell Mike and Mike to introduce me and they can go do whatever they want.’ And he talked for 11 minutes … I’m not 100% sure he took a breath. He most certainly did not use notes. He talked about everything from the Grateful Dead to basketball and absolutely everything in between.”
More Mike Greenberg on Bill Walton: “Bill called in to do his regular appearance. Our segment was about 11 minutes long. And he told our producer, Liam Chapman, ‘Just tell Mike & Mike to introduce me and they can go do whatever they want.’ And he talked for 11 minutes… he… pic.twitter.com/hHtn2EkbEh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 28, 2024
Walton was known for his generous nature, and Greenberg shared a profound life lesson he said he learned from him.
“He was a unique person, and if you’re lucky in your life, when you’re around people like that, you can learn from them, you can take things from them that make you better. It’s a very valuable lesson for young people,” Greenberg said. “And the lesson you learn from Bill Walton is that this is not a dress rehearsal, we get one shot at this thing.
“He did absolutely everything you could do. So Bill, we loved you, we will miss you, and we will never forget the many laughs, and the many lessons that we learned.”
[Awful Announcing on X/Twitter]
