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Inside the NBA remember Bill Walton ❤️



Inside the NBA remember Bill Walton ❤️

we welcome you back to Dallas uh on Monday we lost Bill Walton at the age of 71 to cancer want to take a few minutes to talk about Bill’s Legacy Bill the man uh Bill the player um he was one of a kind we start with coaches Jason kid Rick carlle it’s uh a legend lost when you talk about you know basketball and what he he brought uh to the media side um you know as a ex player uh to be able to be successful not just on the court but um also um on TV and so you know just understanding that his loss will will be missed I have him to thank for me being married to my wife Donna our first date was to a dead show in Washington DC and I had called bill and I I said look I got a date with a girl that I think is pretty cool I’d love to go to the dead show at Capitol Center I don’t have any tickets can you help and he said uh just go to the back door tell them you’re Rick Carlile from the Boston Celtics and everything will be just fine so we were set up for the show and we were on we were actually on stage watching the show and during the break you know kind of wandered into the back and just opened up a door and um ended up sitting down with Jerry Garcia Bob Weir and Mickey Hart for about 15 minutes it was an unbelievable night I’m thankful to him I know there’s been a lot of talk about what he meant to the whole world he defiantly competed for every moment in life to be the greatest it could possibly be figured it’d be nice to bring a UCLA guy on here Reggie Miller to talk about uh to talk about Bill Walt who uh has died at the age of 71 and uh he’s an original uh and you could not imitate him no he was different for sure it’s funny because we all played for power five schools right and the cool thing about playing at big university is when the alumni come back right to either ball with you you know I went to Ill from 84 to 87 so right around that time he was finishing up his career with the Boston Celtics and that was in the middle of the Lakers versus the Celtics Larry versus magic it was very contentious so to have Bill Walton come back my first few steps on the usul Lake Campus he’s around he’s working out with surfing Jack Haley getting him better Stuart gray guys like that so to have him tutor us talk to us about life lessons what those series were was all about and to have the opportunity once Larry Bird became our coach because then he was around a lot because they were teammates him and Rick Carlile as we we just mentioned you see a lot of those shots a lot of those shots when he’s signing autographs is at gamebridge because he was there so much much around Larry and around us just to give those life lessons and he and I what’s interesting we could talk about exes and those all that but post career our relationship really bonded and went further because of our love of two wheels of cycling he was a huge cyclist lot of races together we used to talk about equipment so yes it’s a loss but for Bruin Nation he was so colorful there were so many layers to him which a lot of people didn’t understand so many different layers which was very unique Hall of Famer uh two-time NBA champion obviously legendary career at UCLA for big red yeah man it was when I got that news yesterday it hurt because you talk about great at basketball great in life great as a broadcaster but just a good person i’ never seen a person who was more joyful to be around who was always in a good mood and I said I explain it like this Ernie the world is not as good a place it was yesterday the world was better for having Bill wal in it and it’s not as good as place as it was we lost a legitimate person the world man we lost I mean obviously our basketball hearts are heavy but the world is not a good of place as it was yesterday because we lost Bill Walton I feel so fortunate to have known both Bill Walton and John Wooden and and to and you know how much respect Bill had for Coach wooden and and in his later years was a constant companion of his and stopping by to see him but to hear each of them tell me that story about Bill refusing to shave his beard and get his hair cut before the season started and John woodn’t telling him well Bill we’re going to miss you you know it’s and then and then Bill Le on his bike and coming back 20 minutes later freshly shaven and a haircut so that he would he’d be able to practice back there Bill he was incredible and I got the opportunity to know him uh with Luke won being our coach uh Luke was one of the most incredible people I’ve ever been around Luke was our coach uh the first season I became an Allstar he was our coach to the first 50 games of that year and bill will be around all the time and just so much color and joy that he bring to our aren each and every time we’re going to miss him uh true legend uh he’s been great to all of us and I just want to send my love to Luke and the family throw it down big man you big man yes we definitely lost one of the four fathers of the big man Alliance Kareem wil great Bill wal great Bill Russell Bill and I had an up and down relationship not going to lie I talked to Luke yesterday I gave my condolences like even though me and your father had an up and down relationship I want to send you my condolences it was up and down because I was sensitive but I call you know the things I’m doing to all the big men out Bill all those guys that were doing it to me it’s called the Big Man rights of Passage so a lot of times you would criticize me would criticize me I was so mad one time I wanted to put hands on her but the beautiful Dr lucil said son when people criticize see if there’s some truth inside that criticizing so all the things I were doing not really focusing on basketball I had to learn how to listen to what these Legends say because if you want to become a legend shouldn’t you listen to a legend before you so once I started listening to what Kareem said oh yeah sh Shaq that good Shaq’s not that good they’re getting swept they got to start winning Championship when I start started listening to Bill Walton Bill Russell uh chamberling those guys then I became a you know better player and a better person I saw Bill uh last year at the final four we hugged he told me he just wanted to make me better that’s my message to all these kids that we criticize we’re not making fun of you and playing with you we’re just telling you to make you better cuz all of us up here including the great Bill W we have that G14 class ification so uh Luke uh rest of your family you know my condolences go out I’m definitely going to miss him he was hard on me and I’m glad he was hard on me because you know me growing up the way I was I was raised I’m not I’m not soft it just made me who I am today so thank you for uh help forming the big man Alliance and we’re going to miss you big man you know one of my prize possessions is at the final four one year I say man I’m standing by Kareem and B walon and I said somebody got to get me this picture and I had I sent it to kareim I sent it to Bill it’s one of my most prized possession they both signed it is huge and it’s one of my most prized possession to get the great koream Abdul Jabar and the great Bill wall and me just standing between them at the final four I think the pitcher is probably 12 years old but it’s one of my most prized possessions yeah for me I I was fortunate enough after in the NBA to go on probably 10 to 15 NBA trips with Bill Walton and his wife so Lori Lori and we sit at the back of the bus and you just hear all of the the the the the millions of millions of stories but one of my nephews today were like you know how good was Bill Walton I said well you know for young people he would be today’s joic his ability to pass the basketball to create to do things off the B he would be the same person and you know later on after the injuries he became more of a role player but he was a dominant player obviously went in in college three times twice in in college three time All-American and and and so on and for so forth but his ability when he first got into the NBA before his injuries he was yic so you know that’s what we missed from our era we’re missing joic and we admired him we understood him and we also understood the color that he had in the game when he analyzed because it was he wasn’t really talking to the fan he was talking to us that only we could only we can understand Reggie so he’s really talking to us when he used to do color you had to know him to understand his quirks and his personality because he could break down X’s and O’s he did him in a very unique way but only Ballers really kind of knew the inside language which he was talking about and Ernie I got to give a shout out to coach D brownan when I was 17 18 years old and they saying sha was going to be a great player Bill wal came down and worked out with me for a week so I got to talk to Bill I got to talk to Kareem and you know they told me a lot of stories you know just like keny El leader to so shout out to Coach Brown for introducing me to the great Bill W and I’ll say this too he was he was a source of joy you couldn’t help when you were around Bill Walt it was going to be a good time and everything brought joy to him he was also a great source of encouragement um and I’ll and I’ll get personal with this because a couple years ago when I lost my mom I got an email from Bill wal said be glad for what you had for so long live your life in tribute and honor to and for that magnificent Angel we love you we thank you heal on shine on BW I think that same thing could be said right back to Bill Walton’s family tonight and so to Lori and Luke and Adam and Chris and heal on shine on that’s a mic drop Ernie [Music]

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25 Comments

  1. I don't get the comparisons to Jokic. Walton was an elite defensive player. He completely controlled the game on both ends of the floor. Jokic has more range and Walton couldn't handle the ball like Joker, but as far as a 2 way player, Walton was better (when healthy, of course, which wasn't for very long once he became a pro).

  2. I didn't realize until watching the ESPN 30 for 30 that Walton grew up learning and playing basketball as a guard. He was only about 6' and skinny as a rail when he was a sophomore in high school. He got injured and while he had to sit out for a few months he grew 7 inches. A couple of years later he was 6'11". That's very similar to Barkley who was a 5'10" guard as a sophomore in high school. Learning to handle the ball, pass, and shoot as guards is probably why they were such revolutionary players in their eras. Of course, since Kevin Durant came along, most of the kids who are tall at a young age grow up handling the ball, facing the basket and shooting from the perimeter. I wonder if Walton having such a late growth spurt could have been a factor in all the stress fractures to his feet and back problems.

  3. We KNOW that was a mic drop, we didn't need to hear you say it, Reggie. Ernie had the perfect way to end that segment.

  4. Of course Ernie's favorite Walton story was Coach Wooden making Walton get a haircut. Typical.

  5. Shaq has some deep-seated issues he needs to work thru. I like Shaq, but he has way of always making somebody else’s moment about him. He did it when Jokic won his 3rd MVP a few weeks ago, and then in a very heavy situation with Bill Walton’s passing he just can’t resist to talk about his own career. It’s ok if he didn’t get along with Bill Walton, that’s just the way it goes sometimes, and he mentioned that, which also perfectly acceptable. But, to start talking about Walton, as the TNT guys are going around the table, and then almost immediately pivot to his, “Big man right of passage”, and blah blah blah, he criticized my game, and then started mentioning other centers, is just a jackass move, in my opinion. If you don’t have anything to add to the conversation, give your condolences, and then move on.

  6. I wish Barkley had brought his autographed picture of him, Kareem and Walton at the NCAA final four.

  7. I was speaking with Bill when I met him in San Diego years ago, and I wanted to ask him something just to keep the conversation going. I asked him how old he was. "I'm 64 and just getting started."

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