The basketball world was still mourning the death Monday of beloved former player and announcer Bill Walton as “Inside the NBA” aired Tuesday ahead of Game 4 between the Mavericks and Timberwolves.
The “Inside the NBA” crew took the time to remember the basketball and broadcasting legend, with solemn tributes from Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, as well as Reggie Miller, who appeared on the pregame show to discuss Walton.
Walton died at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer.
“It was tough when I heard the news yesterday,” Barkley said. “People always say he’s great at basketball, great at life, great as an announcer, but he’s just a good person. Fun to be around, always in a good mood, I’ve never met anyone like that.”
“The world is not a better place than it was yesterday. The world was better because of Bill Walton, but it’s not as good a place now as it was. We lost a fine man. Of course, our hearts are heavy for basketball. But the world is not as good a place as it was yesterday because we lost Bill Walton.”
Walton became a legend at UCLA, leading the Bruins to 73 straight wins and consecutive national championships in the early 1970s before embarking on an NBA career where he won titles with Boston and Portland.
After retiring as a player, Walton began his career as an announcer, most recently calling Pac-12 games for ESPN.
“We’ve certainly lost one of the pioneers of the big man alliance,” O’Neal said before Tuesday’s game.
“I met Bill at the Final Four last year. We hugged each other. He told me he just wanted me to be better,” O’Neal said. “Luke, my condolences to your whole family. I’m going to miss him. He was hard on me, but I’m glad he was hard on me. I wasn’t soft on myself because of the way I was raised. It shaped me into the person I am today. Thank you for helping us create the Big Man Alliance. Big man, I’m going to miss you.”
Shaq acknowledged that their relationship hasn’t always been the best over the years, as Walton criticized.
“What I’m doing now with the big guys like Bill and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]”They used to do that to me. It’s called a big man rite of passage,” O’Neal said.
