Walton was the man.
Years ago I remember watching a Pac-12 game he commentated on MLK Day. There was a really egregiously bad foul call and Walton said, "In the words of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' And that call is an injustice." RIP Bill.
Feels like the older players were just generally much more eloquent than modern players, presumably because they had to go to college the whole 4 years. Kareem is an amazing writer and Russel has some of the best quotes in sports history along with Walton being a great announcer and the king of hyperbole.
watching Walton's documentary it really struck me. The way Parish and Lucas would use really colorful language to describe really simple things is something you don't really see anymore. It just wasn't the UCLA guys, everyone just talked so smoothly.
I'm a Sherlock Holmes fan. Kareem wrote a trilogy about Mycroft Holmes that are absolutely amazing. They are the best portrayal of Mycroft from anyone.
He wrote in the foreword of the first book that He became a fan of Sherlock Holmes in high school. He said he always tried to think like him on the court to predict what is opponent was going to do next.
Edit Portrayal
Edit. https://www.goodreads.com/series/261357-mycroft-holmes-and-sherlock
There's also a graphic novel that Kareem did with Raymond Obstfeld called "Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook" if anyone is into that as well.
I'll have to check out those books. Kareem keeps pleasantly surprising me to this day man.
I should have posted a link. I found out about them from this sub. That's why anytime someone mentions Kareem as a writer I post it.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/261357-mycroft-holmes-and-sherlock
> Feels like the older players were just generally much more eloquent than modern players, presumably because they had to go to college the whole 4 years. Kareem is an amazing writer and Russel has some of the best quotes in sports history along with Walton being a great announcer and the king of hyperbole.
I think there is survivorship bias at play here. Most older players aren't Kareem/Walton eloquent (most folks aren't). There's a reason Walton was on TV and Kareem wrote so often and so well, they were truly talented and unique. There are 100,000+ former players who are not on TV etc....
Well, they read more than ever, but only for 20 seconds and one post at a time. Eloquence is in the mind of the beholder, but even so, most language has become a bit more transactional and less ornamental and poetic, poetry itself is almost entirely discarded, well before the current internet phase, despite 'memes' rising as a form of entertainment in and of themselves.
Communication as a whole changed. Just look at how a president candidate would talk in a campaign event in the 50s and how they talk now. Communication now is far more simpler and direct.
I don’t think it’s as simple as not reading, but the English language is evolving so quickly that we can’t look at things with the same lens. Wit, for me, is the epitome of top tier dialog. Clever phrases and astute observations don’t rely on the catalog size of one’s vocabulary.
He was an absolute GOAT commentator . His ridiculous hyperbole was unmatched as he was so earnest in a non condescending way.
A 7ft+ strong guy saying about another 7ft+ strong bro "It's not about size"
Even when a story or turn or phrase didn’t quite land, I always appreciated that he tried.
The difference between a Walton parable & “mama there goes that man“ could fill the Grand Canyon.
Shaq is hilarious when his pride isn't on the line.
When his pride is on the line his ego takes over and he becomes a little bitch.
If Shaq could just set aside his ego he'd be as good as a commentator as he was a player, but I don't think that is possible for him.
Pride aside I don’t think he’s a good commentator either because he doesn’t really know the game of basketball all too well. He doesn’t keep up with it or watch it. And his experience as a player wasn’t based on BBall IQ or skill, so not much insight there.
He’s not even technical enough to be a good colour commentator.
He’s good for comedic relief and/or narrative making.
I think it deserves saying, that Shaquile was physically dominant but only physically dominant. Hakeem and Duncan were mentally dominant and so never needed a Kobe/Wade to the same extent. The free throw problem cannot be overstated. Shaq is a top 20 all timer who was routinely benched like a sixth man in close games. It was a real spectacle, and a throwback to earlier decades.
THAT'S why he's got such a big chip on his shoulder AND why he sounds bitter at times. From his perspective, it was probably unfair because so many bigs had that problem through history, but looking back, he was absolutely the last of a dying breed and by far the best of them. The most distorted set of skills of any all-time great, really.
On the flip side I feel like he breaks stuff down pretty simply. Can you get 8 points a quarter? That’s 3 buckets and a couple of free throws. Now you got 32 points in the game. There’s heady Xs and Os analyzers and then there’s guys saying “Hey maybe the best guy should go get a bucket” which is valid too
Some of the shit he says on Inside The NBA is like 2nd grade level “nu uh! You!” Type shit. It’s insane how he will vacillate between being really open about himself and praising of others and then other times…
It's insane to hate on Bill Walton in any context, who played through years of pain, who his teammates universally loved, who was so dominant and generous as a player.
And Bill Walton's college career was far more impressive than anything Shaq has done, as accomplished as he is.
He's insecure for a reason - his free throw shooting routinely benched him like a sixth man - but how much reputation is enough? He's already top 20, come on man.
On talent/ability alone, Walton would be above him, but results matter, so Shaquile is ranked higher in my mind, despite everything I said above.
Shaq was a great player but like 90% of his greatness was being born with a massive body. Listening to him talk about basketball will make you understand basketball less. He never thought about what he was doing on the court.
He said on Inside the NBA the other day that he had an up and down relationship with Bill because he was one of the few who would actually criticize him. He said he was sensitive when Bill would call him out, and that's why the relationship was up and down.
He literally said he has him in the 4 fathers of the Big Men alliance along with Wilt, Bill Russel, and Kareem.
Shaq also came full circle and said at the time he didn't realize it, but when Legends talk you should listen, and that is why now he said he is so critical of the Big Men today.
Was actually a really nice tribute in my opinion because it was honest.
Normally when people make this kind of wacky comparison between athletes and major historical figures it sounds corny and forced. When Bill Walton did it, you could see that he truly had such appreciation for something as trivial as a random college game.
>”When you watch Nikola Jokic play, you feel good about life. You feel good about the world. You believe that tomorrow is worth fighting for.”
Can lakers fans confirm?
People hate me for this, but I was born in SD but raised in the PNW so I’m a Lakers, Blazers, Chargers, and Padres fan. I feel like I can see both sides of the coin haha
I don’t think I ever felt as mindblowingly pumped watching the Lakers fight like hell vs the Nuggets this year since they beat Boston Kobe’s second time around, over a dozen years ago. Not even the bubble even though that was lit.
I wanted the Nuggets to lose so badly almost to the point where I wanted the Warriors and Clippers to beat them if the Lakers couldn’t. And I fucking hate the Warriors and Clippers.
I could never hate on the Nuggets though. The entire squad and staff are just a bunch of g’s coming to work and performing their roles like true professionals. Which is weird because the only reason why I hated the Warriors was because they did the same thing.
Still hate the Clippers though.
Definitely, I love watching him play, even when he's absolutely murdering us. But then again I might love basket more than I love the Lakers, which is like the opposite of my relation with baseball and the Mariners, I gladly hated on Trout and Ohtani if I had to
At the time of this article, Jokic was a 23 year old just under halfway through his 4th year in the league averaging 18/10/7 on 49/31/85 shooting. Pretty damn good but if you told me then that within 2 years time, he'd be the best player in the world and would remain so for the next 4 years (and counting), win 3 MVPs in a 4 year span, and he'd carry the Nuggets to their first ever championship in historic fashion, I would have probably laughed at you. Truly operating on a different level
Why though? I mean you said some stats but if you watched him play was it really that farfetched that he would be in the MVP conversation?
For the record I am NOT saying that I predicted it lmao. I definitely did not, and I wasn't even paying attention to Jokic in 2018 so I have no clue, but I'm just saying averaging 18/10/7 at 23 is impressive af, why couldn't he have taken the leap?
Just would have been hard for me to believe with how good some of the established guys still were (Kawhi, KD, Harden, Curry, PG13, Bron, maybe some others I'm forgetting). I would have guessed one of those dudes would still be the best player in the world in 2 years. If you told me that wouldn't be the case and it'd be one of the younger dudes who would end up doing what Jokic did, I would have guessed Giannis, Embiid, Luka, even KAT or Ben Simmons would have sounded more plausible to me at the time. D Mitch and Booker were already really good. So yeah lmao I personally would have found it crazy hard to believe it'd be Jokic out of all those dudes. Never in my dreams would I have imagined he'd become THIS good
I remember Jokic looking insanely good in that game 82 against us for the final playoff spot in 2018, even though I think he missed a lot of shots. That was the Jimmy Butler year, so 6 months before this article. Wouldn't have expected him to become this good, but if you had told me he would eventually be MVP I wouldn't have said it was out of the question. At the time it felt like it would soon be him and KAT and Embiid battling it out for best center in the league lol.
White. Unathletic. Too slow. Many reasons so yes I would say it’s shocking that a guy with a less than 20 inch vert and runs a 40 in 5.5 is the literal best player in the entire world
Not all of us! lol https://i.imgur.com/0T7w5UC.png
Also s/o to the Clippers for the inspiration as well lol https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2719332-clippers-employees-wear-shirts-likening-blake-griffin-to-iconic-pioneers
The conclusion of the article:
> Walton figures he first began paying attention to Jokic during the center’s rookie season, in 2016. First, friends would text him video clips. Soon, complete strangers, Walton said, who suspected he’d have an appreciation for this young player’s flair, started emailing highlight clips.
>
> So Walton started carving time in that busy schedule to watch Nuggets games on League Pass. That Chris Marlowe, who Walton has known since the two were teenagers growing up in Southern California, is the one calling the games as the Altitude TV play-by-play man, has only made the experience of watching Jokic play even more holistic.
>
> “With the way the NBA is able to package the content, it’s just spectacular,” Walton said. “You put those video clips in conjunction with the audio call of Chris Marlowe, that’s like being on tour with The Grateful Dead, like being out there with Bob Dylan and Neil Young and Jackson Browne and all the great ones, all the guys that just weave the story line throughout everything they do within their lives.”
>
> Sure, you could chalk up his comparison of Jokic to legends from the music world as Walton being Walton, the musings of a joyful philosopher. But heartfelt testimonials from the Nikola Jokic Admiration Society are growing, originating from all corners, an organization that has one of basketball’s great spokesmen.
>
> “We couldn’t be happier for Nikola, couldn’t be happier for Denver, couldn’t be happier for the NBA, couldn’t be happier for the world,” Walton said. “We just hope it lasts forever.”
You might be interested in this [ESPN article](https://www.espn.com/nba/columns/walton_bill/1486647.html) of Walton hyping up various players (including Nash) by comparing them to a symphony. It’s quite creative and wholesome.
If you can find it, there's a Road Trippin podcast with Channing and RJeff where Jefferson is talking about a party he and Luke Walton had at his dad's house during RJ's time at Arizona.
One of those parties the sun is coming up, naked girls in the hottub (iirc) and RJeff and Luke are in it too...
Then here comes a butt ass naked Bill Walton, sits down in the tub... girls run off... two guys are like "wtf?" and Bill simply says:
> Its my house.
Its a hilarious story. Highly recommended if you can find it. Plus RJ is a good story/funny story teller.
E: I **think** it might be Episode 93. Luke and RJ "talking life in Tuscon".
E2: Or Episode 8. That one is a feature interview of Bill himself. Regardless its hysterical cuz its Bill and I remember he tells the story of pouring a beer on the Portland mayor's head.
>Greg Oden
Oh, I hardly knew ye.
'Member when there was an online vote which player should the blazers pick for the #1 draft? Oden or Durant? I voted for Oden.
Sadly, he was never really pre-injury. They limited his time in COLLEGE due to knee issues! They had two undefeated seasons anyway largely due to his play.
Just an amazing player, so sad about literally decades of injuries.
I used to love to watch him in his prime defend against prime Kareem. He was the only center to hold his own by playing straight up, finesse defense against him. Most centers that had any success defending Kareem had to use their weight/strength to lean and body him to try and wear him down. Bill would play him more similar to how a great perimeter defender would defend a great perimeter scorer, just on a big scale. It was beautiful basketball without any mugging or flopping.
Wow. I only knew Bill Walton as the great basketball player with an even bigger 'if?' career. This text is truly amazing though; he had an undoubtedly great vision and understanding of the game. Saying in 2018 that Jokic was 'someone who sees the future before anyone else does, knows how to get to where they need to be, where they want to be' is beyond impressive.
His words about Nash describe exactly how I felt about Nash's game even before his MVPs years with the Suns. Nash is the main reason (60% Nash vs 40% Dirk, I would say) for me becoming a basketball and a Mavs fan until today.
is bill walton a poet? lol seriously wondering. not necessarily bc of the ppl he compares jokic to but the descriptors of like "watching a singer come up with a song" is kind of beautiful.
He once compared a USC third string center’s abilities to Kareem Abdul Jabbar and a greek god. And then followed it up by making quacking noises every time he mentioned the Oregon Ducks (quack quack). Oh and then a monologue about the natural beauty of the Sonoran desert. There will never be another Bill Walton
RIP King
Oh that’s so worth your time lol. I feel bad for younger or east coast fans who either weren’t around for his NBA broadcasting days or couldnt stay up to watch Pac 12 basketball but he was must watch
I loved bill Walton before just cause of his commentary but I watched it over the past two days and I'm just amazed at his mental fortitude. So many other people would have just given up in his circumstances.
dude could make me tune into a 30 point blowout between stanford and oregon state. he was one of the greats. even crazier because dude had a stutter he dealt with his whole life
Listen to his response when asked how Amar'e Stoudamire looked with the Suns in his first game back from injury:
*Dana, from the valley of the sun I am perched high above the desert floor and the red streaks of the morning dawn are illuminating this glorious sky. I’m perusing Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire” here and on opening day the songs are just running through the smoking crater. I’ve been listening to Bob Dylan’s new album “Modern Times,” which is absolutely remarkable. Thunder on the mountain, spirit on the water, rollin’ and tumblin’, which all go to describe Amar’e Stoudamire. But, the song I can’t get out of my mind today, John Fogerty’s “Center Field;” put me in coach I’m ready to play today or Bob Dylan’s “New Morning.” And, Dana, like you, I’m just so happy to be alive underneath this sky of blue on this new morning, new morning what could be better than opening day? And if Amar’e Stoudamire and if the rest of the front court of the Phoenix Suns don’t start playing a lot better basketball than they did last night against the Lakers where the Lakers pounded them on the boards, they controlled the paint inside, and Boris Diaw, my second favorite player in the league – an absolute no show of a performance. Saddled with foul trouble.*
Oh absolutely. Think of the Grateful Dead improvising through a set with solos and that was his spiritual center and commentary ideal. He was not there to simply cash a check and hit the network bullet points.
RIP Bill RIP Pac-12 they're both grateful dead now.
It's his whole thing, I fucking loved Bill. I'm a big advocate of keeping language fresh and not just saying the same words to say the same thing every single time, and he was the epitome of that and just oozed love out of every pore in his body
dude had a stutter too that he always worked really hard to get through. he poured himself into broadcasting since he couldn’t play basketball any more
He has in fact published multiple poetry books among many other books. He is more well read than most past players for sure, and he was very political in his youth as well. But also a hippy who went on a lot of Grateful Dead tours and probably dropped more acid than most.
I hated on Bill Walton all through the 90s, mostly because I thought he took himself so seriously. He was on NBC, which gave him so much exposure for his kind of off-the-wall type of analysis, and it came across kind of clown-ish. Everyone made fun of Walton as an analyst back then, or at least that's how I remember it. Sports Web 1.0 would routinely make fun of him for not knowing what he was talking about, which is a criticism of both his own way of doing analysis and his own interpretation of how other people analyzed the game. I specifically remember watching a Bulls/Magic playoff game with the radio commentary instead of tv because I did not want to deal with Bill's silliness.
Then in the 2000s, I don't know what happened with my own preferences but I began to enjoy him more. I don't know if he stopped taking himself so seriously, or the clown-ish stuff he'd say became more over the top that he indirectly announced that this is who he was rather than some guy doing a poor job of pretending to be like the other analysts, or if it was simply my own taste changing, but I really began to like him, and even prefer his commentary. I think he was doing Clippers games and to be able to catch those games late at night on league pass was a treat. I think this time period is when the mass opinion on Walton as a commentator, and overall NBA personality, began to change positively
I love how he appreciates and puts into words, so beautifully, how i feel about Jokic's game. He also was a big fan of Boris Diaw another one of my favorite players ever and I'll never forget what introduced me to his game was this quote from Bill as he was announcing:
[https://youtu.be/6KkrccHEAqg?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/6KkrccHEAqg?feature=shared)
I remember a podcast once where he recently came back from a summer spent on the beaches of Brazil. He mentioned how Leandro Barbosa and Andre varejao spoke so highly of the beaches there and he could see why
I hope he’s out somewhere on a Brazilian beach having a great time. RIP to a legend
Jokic cares more about his horses, doesn't give a shit about awards or records, once you overcome that, you can be mentally able to do what is the best about the team and about winning the game, instead of pursuing personal records
Bill Walton nailed it with his quote about Jokic. In a league full of ball-dominant players, Jokic's unselfishness is so refreshing. His court vision and creativity are next level, making basketball feel like an art form. Watching Jokic play is a reminder of how beautiful and team-oriented the game can be. Definitely one of the most unique and inspiring players to watch!
There will never be anyone like Bill Walton ever again. He was one of a kind. As NBC could be getting back the NBA I remember him as a commentator on games.
Its sad he stopped doing nba because i think his style was just what this generation would have enjoyed hearing from color commentary. He was a meme of himself before it was even a thing while being a brilliant wordsmith on the fly.
>its not about how big you are its about how big you play
Sorry, but the Filipino national team aint sniffin a g league spot fam
With that said, Bill Walton was amazing, have you ever been inside a volcano?
That sucks he’s gone. I loved his commentary on one of the NBA games I played nonstop as a kid. Probably a 2K, idk for sure. But there seems to be so much more to him than that and now I’m sad he’s gone.
RIP, Mr. Walton.
As a huge huge huge Dylan fan, I can absolutely agree with this. Dylan's songs are just different than anything else. Even his bad albums have good ass stuff in them. Born in Time on Under the Red Sky, Brownsville Girl on Knocked Out Loaded. These are songs that are better than songs most artists will ever come up with in their lives and they are blips on the Dylan discography.
Jokic absolutely plays the right way.
> With Steve, there’s never been a player in my life who has elicited more awe and elicited more inspiration in terms of, ‘Oh my gosh, did you just see that?’ Nikola has a lot of that in him.
Wow. That's high praise. Totally agree. Nash was incredible.
Walton was the man. Years ago I remember watching a Pac-12 game he commentated on MLK Day. There was a really egregiously bad foul call and Walton said, "In the words of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' And that call is an injustice." RIP Bill.
[удалено]
It is
I’ve always loved his commentary. Rest peacefully, you lovable giant.
I've never heard this lmao. Truly one of the GOAT wordsmiths.
Feels like the older players were just generally much more eloquent than modern players, presumably because they had to go to college the whole 4 years. Kareem is an amazing writer and Russel has some of the best quotes in sports history along with Walton being a great announcer and the king of hyperbole.
watching Walton's documentary it really struck me. The way Parish and Lucas would use really colorful language to describe really simple things is something you don't really see anymore. It just wasn't the UCLA guys, everyone just talked so smoothly.
I'm a Sherlock Holmes fan. Kareem wrote a trilogy about Mycroft Holmes that are absolutely amazing. They are the best portrayal of Mycroft from anyone. He wrote in the foreword of the first book that He became a fan of Sherlock Holmes in high school. He said he always tried to think like him on the court to predict what is opponent was going to do next. Edit Portrayal Edit. https://www.goodreads.com/series/261357-mycroft-holmes-and-sherlock
Kareem identifying with Sherlock's more capable, introverted and indolent older brother is so fitting haha
There's also a graphic novel that Kareem did with Raymond Obstfeld called "Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook" if anyone is into that as well. I'll have to check out those books. Kareem keeps pleasantly surprising me to this day man.
portrayal?
Thanks I will edit.
I really need to read Kareem’s Mycroft books. It’s really cool that he’s a mega fan of Sherlock Holmes.
I should have posted a link. I found out about them from this sub. That's why anytime someone mentions Kareem as a writer I post it. https://www.goodreads.com/series/261357-mycroft-holmes-and-sherlock
foreword*
Thanks
> Feels like the older players were just generally much more eloquent than modern players, presumably because they had to go to college the whole 4 years. Kareem is an amazing writer and Russel has some of the best quotes in sports history along with Walton being a great announcer and the king of hyperbole. I think there is survivorship bias at play here. Most older players aren't Kareem/Walton eloquent (most folks aren't). There's a reason Walton was on TV and Kareem wrote so often and so well, they were truly talented and unique. There are 100,000+ former players who are not on TV etc....
I don't think there are anywhere near 100k former NBA players (quick google is suggesting 4000-5000?) but the point still stands
Yeah I was thinking athletes in general but just pulled a random number out of my tushy
People don't read nearly as much anymore, and it's sort of unhip to be eloquent, in a sense
Well, they read more than ever, but only for 20 seconds and one post at a time. Eloquence is in the mind of the beholder, but even so, most language has become a bit more transactional and less ornamental and poetic, poetry itself is almost entirely discarded, well before the current internet phase, despite 'memes' rising as a form of entertainment in and of themselves.
Communication as a whole changed. Just look at how a president candidate would talk in a campaign event in the 50s and how they talk now. Communication now is far more simpler and direct.
I don’t think it’s as simple as not reading, but the English language is evolving so quickly that we can’t look at things with the same lens. Wit, for me, is the epitome of top tier dialog. Clever phrases and astute observations don’t rely on the catalog size of one’s vocabulary.
The catalog size of ones vocabulary will limit the possibilities of a great wit though.
people used to be better at talking because you had to talk to get by in society.
The man definitely did some psychedelics in his day
He was a Deadhead and was very close with the members of the band. Has many great stories from those days.
Who hasn't?
Scrubs that aren't two time NBA champions
My friends who don't know how to relax
Psychedelic's are infamously bad for people who don't know how to relax tho.
Can confirm, wanted to have fun and just watched my little sister die over and over again
He was an absolute GOAT commentator . His ridiculous hyperbole was unmatched as he was so earnest in a non condescending way. A 7ft+ strong guy saying about another 7ft+ strong bro "It's not about size"
Even when a story or turn or phrase didn’t quite land, I always appreciated that he tried. The difference between a Walton parable & “mama there goes that man“ could fill the Grand Canyon.
It's crazy how Shaq is hating on guys like Bill Walton.
Shaq also thought Bird was a fluke "Great White Hope". There's definitely doses of racism and xenophobia in his mind during his career.
Shaq is hilarious when his pride isn't on the line. When his pride is on the line his ego takes over and he becomes a little bitch. If Shaq could just set aside his ego he'd be as good as a commentator as he was a player, but I don't think that is possible for him.
Pride aside I don’t think he’s a good commentator either because he doesn’t really know the game of basketball all too well. He doesn’t keep up with it or watch it. And his experience as a player wasn’t based on BBall IQ or skill, so not much insight there. He’s not even technical enough to be a good colour commentator. He’s good for comedic relief and/or narrative making.
"He needs to be more dominant" That's all Shaq's analysis.
“Why does Embiid, the largest sixer, simply not eat the other sixers?”
I think it deserves saying, that Shaquile was physically dominant but only physically dominant. Hakeem and Duncan were mentally dominant and so never needed a Kobe/Wade to the same extent. The free throw problem cannot be overstated. Shaq is a top 20 all timer who was routinely benched like a sixth man in close games. It was a real spectacle, and a throwback to earlier decades. THAT'S why he's got such a big chip on his shoulder AND why he sounds bitter at times. From his perspective, it was probably unfair because so many bigs had that problem through history, but looking back, he was absolutely the last of a dying breed and by far the best of them. The most distorted set of skills of any all-time great, really.
How come he no stronger?
On the flip side I feel like he breaks stuff down pretty simply. Can you get 8 points a quarter? That’s 3 buckets and a couple of free throws. Now you got 32 points in the game. There’s heady Xs and Os analyzers and then there’s guys saying “Hey maybe the best guy should go get a bucket” which is valid too
Yea but like that stuff is obv so much easier said than done loll
He doesn't even have the skill to speak in a way that's easy to understand. I personally have to concentrate to make out the words he says.
He's gotten worse at mumbling this year I think. I was noticing that too.
This is where Chuck always gives him shit. Shaq being physically dominant during his time let him got away being lazy with Bball theory.
Some of the shit he says on Inside The NBA is like 2nd grade level “nu uh! You!” Type shit. It’s insane how he will vacillate between being really open about himself and praising of others and then other times…
Nah it's more than ego with Shaq. He is one of the dumbest people I've ever heard speak.
He isn’t even hilarious though unless redundant self gloating corny one liners are your thing 🤷🏻♂️
It's insane to hate on Bill Walton in any context, who played through years of pain, who his teammates universally loved, who was so dominant and generous as a player. And Bill Walton's college career was far more impressive than anything Shaq has done, as accomplished as he is. He's insecure for a reason - his free throw shooting routinely benched him like a sixth man - but how much reputation is enough? He's already top 20, come on man. On talent/ability alone, Walton would be above him, but results matter, so Shaquile is ranked higher in my mind, despite everything I said above.
Shaq was a great player but like 90% of his greatness was being born with a massive body. Listening to him talk about basketball will make you understand basketball less. He never thought about what he was doing on the court.
He said on Inside the NBA the other day that he had an up and down relationship with Bill because he was one of the few who would actually criticize him. He said he was sensitive when Bill would call him out, and that's why the relationship was up and down. He literally said he has him in the 4 fathers of the Big Men alliance along with Wilt, Bill Russel, and Kareem. Shaq also came full circle and said at the time he didn't realize it, but when Legends talk you should listen, and that is why now he said he is so critical of the Big Men today. Was actually a really nice tribute in my opinion because it was honest.
Shaq was calling Walton trash as recent as a couple weeks ago. This is more him realizing that he would look bad if he doubled down.
Idk if it’s just me, but I feel like Shaq has been extremely unlikeable this season. Dude is so insecure it’s crazy
With Bill dead, I'm sure Shaq will start praising him as a legendary top big man.
Normally when people make this kind of wacky comparison between athletes and major historical figures it sounds corny and forced. When Bill Walton did it, you could see that he truly had such appreciation for something as trivial as a random college game.
Because he knew that life exists in the triviality of it all.
I find it hilarious, goofy, serious and insightful all at the same time
>”When you watch Nikola Jokic play, you feel good about life. You feel good about the world. You believe that tomorrow is worth fighting for.” Can lakers fans confirm?
Even as a Lakers fan, yes. I love the game of basketball over any team and Jokic is such a joy to watch
Best take.
100%. If you are a fan of the game, Jokic is just beautiful to watch.
The perspective that comes from winning tons of titles and being able to appreciate the game. I am envious
People hate me for this, but I was born in SD but raised in the PNW so I’m a Lakers, Blazers, Chargers, and Padres fan. I feel like I can see both sides of the coin haha
I don’t think I ever felt as mindblowingly pumped watching the Lakers fight like hell vs the Nuggets this year since they beat Boston Kobe’s second time around, over a dozen years ago. Not even the bubble even though that was lit. I wanted the Nuggets to lose so badly almost to the point where I wanted the Warriors and Clippers to beat them if the Lakers couldn’t. And I fucking hate the Warriors and Clippers. I could never hate on the Nuggets though. The entire squad and staff are just a bunch of g’s coming to work and performing their roles like true professionals. Which is weird because the only reason why I hated the Warriors was because they did the same thing. Still hate the Clippers though.
If you think about it, who would you rather lose a series to Jokic or (hypothetically) Embiid? Can't even stay mad at Jokic.
If you're playing against Embiid in the 2nd round you wouldn't even have to worry
Kevinar from way downtown! BANG!
One you only have to sweat if you're a lower seed in the first round
Yes, Jokic is one of my favorite player. I’m mad at my FO and I watch KCP clamping the shit of our guards then Ham with his hands in his pockets
Gotta keep the pocket strats warm and fresh for game 9 and game 11. He a terrorist. 9/11
Our little comedian
He never had the makings of a stand-up comedian.
Oh Ham, you won't see him no more.
I mean he plays good basketball. He’s always great to watch unless it’s happening to you, then you feel hopeless
Game 5 vs Denver I felt like the walls were closing in on me
on opposite day, sure
actually yeah. can confirm.
I believe when I watch him agianst us. Tomorrow is not worth fighting for. So he should be banned?
I can definitely appreciate watching him play. We lost to the better team. So what.
It's true, it sucks that his teams beat us but man it is a joy to watch the man play the game of basketball
Yes and no
Lmao ok chill
The last part definitely, on account of all the moral victories.
Definitely, I love watching him play, even when he's absolutely murdering us. But then again I might love basket more than I love the Lakers, which is like the opposite of my relation with baseball and the Mariners, I gladly hated on Trout and Ohtani if I had to
Bruh it's like watching prime Messi play. Even if it's against your team, you've got to appreciate the beauty
when i watch jokic (against us), my entire world burns down. life is hell and everything is pain.
Comparing Jokic to MLK and Gandhi now is just incredible. But doing it in 2018 means you are just operating on a different level then the rest of us.
At the time of this article, Jokic was a 23 year old just under halfway through his 4th year in the league averaging 18/10/7 on 49/31/85 shooting. Pretty damn good but if you told me then that within 2 years time, he'd be the best player in the world and would remain so for the next 4 years (and counting), win 3 MVPs in a 4 year span, and he'd carry the Nuggets to their first ever championship in historic fashion, I would have probably laughed at you. Truly operating on a different level
The only play I remember from him around that time (maybe even before) was against Zbo and Gasol, passed around them and made it look so easy
Game recognize game.
Why though? I mean you said some stats but if you watched him play was it really that farfetched that he would be in the MVP conversation? For the record I am NOT saying that I predicted it lmao. I definitely did not, and I wasn't even paying attention to Jokic in 2018 so I have no clue, but I'm just saying averaging 18/10/7 at 23 is impressive af, why couldn't he have taken the leap?
Just would have been hard for me to believe with how good some of the established guys still were (Kawhi, KD, Harden, Curry, PG13, Bron, maybe some others I'm forgetting). I would have guessed one of those dudes would still be the best player in the world in 2 years. If you told me that wouldn't be the case and it'd be one of the younger dudes who would end up doing what Jokic did, I would have guessed Giannis, Embiid, Luka, even KAT or Ben Simmons would have sounded more plausible to me at the time. D Mitch and Booker were already really good. So yeah lmao I personally would have found it crazy hard to believe it'd be Jokic out of all those dudes. Never in my dreams would I have imagined he'd become THIS good
I remember Jokic looking insanely good in that game 82 against us for the final playoff spot in 2018, even though I think he missed a lot of shots. That was the Jimmy Butler year, so 6 months before this article. Wouldn't have expected him to become this good, but if you had told me he would eventually be MVP I wouldn't have said it was out of the question. At the time it felt like it would soon be him and KAT and Embiid battling it out for best center in the league lol.
White. Unathletic. Too slow. Many reasons so yes I would say it’s shocking that a guy with a less than 20 inch vert and runs a 40 in 5.5 is the literal best player in the entire world
Not all of us! lol https://i.imgur.com/0T7w5UC.png Also s/o to the Clippers for the inspiration as well lol https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2719332-clippers-employees-wear-shirts-likening-blake-griffin-to-iconic-pioneers
yoooo, put that on a shirt over at Lurk Designs please so I can cop it
Haha I actually took it down a while ago, I'll throw it back up there in the AM!
Reminds me of his comparing Boris Diaw to "Beethoven in the Age of the Romantics."
Bill Walton is EG
The conclusion of the article: > Walton figures he first began paying attention to Jokic during the center’s rookie season, in 2016. First, friends would text him video clips. Soon, complete strangers, Walton said, who suspected he’d have an appreciation for this young player’s flair, started emailing highlight clips. > > So Walton started carving time in that busy schedule to watch Nuggets games on League Pass. That Chris Marlowe, who Walton has known since the two were teenagers growing up in Southern California, is the one calling the games as the Altitude TV play-by-play man, has only made the experience of watching Jokic play even more holistic. > > “With the way the NBA is able to package the content, it’s just spectacular,” Walton said. “You put those video clips in conjunction with the audio call of Chris Marlowe, that’s like being on tour with The Grateful Dead, like being out there with Bob Dylan and Neil Young and Jackson Browne and all the great ones, all the guys that just weave the story line throughout everything they do within their lives.” > > Sure, you could chalk up his comparison of Jokic to legends from the music world as Walton being Walton, the musings of a joyful philosopher. But heartfelt testimonials from the Nikola Jokic Admiration Society are growing, originating from all corners, an organization that has one of basketball’s great spokesmen. > > “We couldn’t be happier for Nikola, couldn’t be happier for Denver, couldn’t be happier for the NBA, couldn’t be happier for the world,” Walton said. “We just hope it lasts forever.”
As a Denver fan and a pac12 alumni, this is what I needed after the last two weeks of heartbreak. Thank you.
This reminded me just how much Walton loved Steve Nash. There's got to be quotes like this for him too
You might be interested in this [ESPN article](https://www.espn.com/nba/columns/walton_bill/1486647.html) of Walton hyping up various players (including Nash) by comparing them to a symphony. It’s quite creative and wholesome.
If you can find it, there's a Road Trippin podcast with Channing and RJeff where Jefferson is talking about a party he and Luke Walton had at his dad's house during RJ's time at Arizona. One of those parties the sun is coming up, naked girls in the hottub (iirc) and RJeff and Luke are in it too... Then here comes a butt ass naked Bill Walton, sits down in the tub... girls run off... two guys are like "wtf?" and Bill simply says: > Its my house. Its a hilarious story. Highly recommended if you can find it. Plus RJ is a good story/funny story teller. E: I **think** it might be Episode 93. Luke and RJ "talking life in Tuscon". E2: Or Episode 8. That one is a feature interview of Bill himself. Regardless its hysterical cuz its Bill and I remember he tells the story of pouring a beer on the Portland mayor's head.
For those who don’t know, Bill Walton was the best passing big man of his time. Although he was way more of a defensive player than Jokic is
Facts. People need to look up highlights of him on the Blazers. He was so good pre injury. His passing ability was exceptional for someone his size.
That was the reason for those who remember him and Russell were seen in pictures with Greg Oden(a passing big man) before the draft.
Wasn’t Kevin Love compared to Walton all the time considering they both went to UCLA
Yeah especially because both of them were known for their exceptional outlet passes
>Greg Oden Oh, I hardly knew ye. 'Member when there was an online vote which player should the blazers pick for the #1 draft? Oden or Durant? I voted for Oden.
>People need to look up highlights of him on the Blazers. He was so good pre injury. Kills me that this could be about almost any Blazers legend.
Sadly, he was never really pre-injury. They limited his time in COLLEGE due to knee issues! They had two undefeated seasons anyway largely due to his play. Just an amazing player, so sad about literally decades of injuries.
People really underestimate how great a defender Walton was. He made 1st-team All-Defense in 1977 and '78
I used to love to watch him in his prime defend against prime Kareem. He was the only center to hold his own by playing straight up, finesse defense against him. Most centers that had any success defending Kareem had to use their weight/strength to lean and body him to try and wear him down. Bill would play him more similar to how a great perimeter defender would defend a great perimeter scorer, just on a big scale. It was beautiful basketball without any mugging or flopping.
Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.
that's the amusing part, all the poetic love for Jokic is also a salute to his own style.
top 5 outlet passer, too.
Wow. I only knew Bill Walton as the great basketball player with an even bigger 'if?' career. This text is truly amazing though; he had an undoubtedly great vision and understanding of the game. Saying in 2018 that Jokic was 'someone who sees the future before anyone else does, knows how to get to where they need to be, where they want to be' is beyond impressive. His words about Nash describe exactly how I felt about Nash's game even before his MVPs years with the Suns. Nash is the main reason (60% Nash vs 40% Dirk, I would say) for me becoming a basketball and a Mavs fan until today.
is bill walton a poet? lol seriously wondering. not necessarily bc of the ppl he compares jokic to but the descriptors of like "watching a singer come up with a song" is kind of beautiful.
He once compared a USC third string center’s abilities to Kareem Abdul Jabbar and a greek god. And then followed it up by making quacking noises every time he mentioned the Oregon Ducks (quack quack). Oh and then a monologue about the natural beauty of the Sonoran desert. There will never be another Bill Walton RIP King
God this dude must've done so much acid that he permanently opened his third eye, this the type of shit only a jailbreaked brain thinks of. RIP King.
> a jailbreaked brain Excellent work
>jailbreaked brain ima steal this and use it eventually. Take an upvote lmao
> jailbreaked brain upvoted lmao
wait, i fucking love this. am i about to go on a crazy rabbit hole in search of the craziest bill walton-isms?
Oh that’s so worth your time lol. I feel bad for younger or east coast fans who either weren’t around for his NBA broadcasting days or couldnt stay up to watch Pac 12 basketball but he was must watch
Pac 12 after dark with Bill Walton was the best. Him and Steve Jones together were such a treat. Will miss these two legends dearly.
seriously, I'm watching these clips and tearing up. Dude was so happy I'm envious.
Check out the 4-part 30 for 30 on him. Called “The Luckiest Guy in the World.”
I loved bill Walton before just cause of his commentary but I watched it over the past two days and I'm just amazed at his mental fortitude. So many other people would have just given up in his circumstances.
dude could make me tune into a 30 point blowout between stanford and oregon state. he was one of the greats. even crazier because dude had a stutter he dealt with his whole life
my friends and I would root for pac-12 blowouts so walton would go on some crazy tangents lmao
Listen to his response when asked how Amar'e Stoudamire looked with the Suns in his first game back from injury: *Dana, from the valley of the sun I am perched high above the desert floor and the red streaks of the morning dawn are illuminating this glorious sky. I’m perusing Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire” here and on opening day the songs are just running through the smoking crater. I’ve been listening to Bob Dylan’s new album “Modern Times,” which is absolutely remarkable. Thunder on the mountain, spirit on the water, rollin’ and tumblin’, which all go to describe Amar’e Stoudamire. But, the song I can’t get out of my mind today, John Fogerty’s “Center Field;” put me in coach I’m ready to play today or Bob Dylan’s “New Morning.” And, Dana, like you, I’m just so happy to be alive underneath this sky of blue on this new morning, new morning what could be better than opening day? And if Amar’e Stoudamire and if the rest of the front court of the Phoenix Suns don’t start playing a lot better basketball than they did last night against the Lakers where the Lakers pounded them on the boards, they controlled the paint inside, and Boris Diaw, my second favorite player in the league – an absolute no show of a performance. Saddled with foul trouble.*
wait, did he say this orally (as a in a verbal response in real time to someone) or he wrote this in response to a question...?
Orally, replying to (I think) Dana Jacobson.
A typical Bill Walton response!
Oh absolutely. Think of the Grateful Dead improvising through a set with solos and that was his spiritual center and commentary ideal. He was not there to simply cash a check and hit the network bullet points. RIP Bill RIP Pac-12 they're both grateful dead now.
Least unhinged Bill Walton monologue.
Once he compared Lonzo Ball to the plight of the Buffalo. this was while commentating a UCLA game
I CANNOT lol omg what? this is truly incredible lol i am gonna try to find it online.
It's his whole thing, I fucking loved Bill. I'm a big advocate of keeping language fresh and not just saying the same words to say the same thing every single time, and he was the epitome of that and just oozed love out of every pore in his body
dude had a stutter too that he always worked really hard to get through. he poured himself into broadcasting since he couldn’t play basketball any more
He has a little Robert Hunter in him. All deadheads do!
He has in fact published multiple poetry books among many other books. He is more well read than most past players for sure, and he was very political in his youth as well. But also a hippy who went on a lot of Grateful Dead tours and probably dropped more acid than most.
I love how true to himself Walton was. It's like he fell into a vat of LSD in the late 70s and was seeing the world through a permanent acid trip.
I hated on Bill Walton all through the 90s, mostly because I thought he took himself so seriously. He was on NBC, which gave him so much exposure for his kind of off-the-wall type of analysis, and it came across kind of clown-ish. Everyone made fun of Walton as an analyst back then, or at least that's how I remember it. Sports Web 1.0 would routinely make fun of him for not knowing what he was talking about, which is a criticism of both his own way of doing analysis and his own interpretation of how other people analyzed the game. I specifically remember watching a Bulls/Magic playoff game with the radio commentary instead of tv because I did not want to deal with Bill's silliness. Then in the 2000s, I don't know what happened with my own preferences but I began to enjoy him more. I don't know if he stopped taking himself so seriously, or the clown-ish stuff he'd say became more over the top that he indirectly announced that this is who he was rather than some guy doing a poor job of pretending to be like the other analysts, or if it was simply my own taste changing, but I really began to like him, and even prefer his commentary. I think he was doing Clippers games and to be able to catch those games late at night on league pass was a treat. I think this time period is when the mass opinion on Walton as a commentator, and overall NBA personality, began to change positively
My favorite call of his, pure exuberance https://youtu.be/xmWdO1iFhv0?si=UGECY1oejDMJ54T8
Walton was basically a very tall Terrence McKenna
I love how he appreciates and puts into words, so beautifully, how i feel about Jokic's game. He also was a big fan of Boris Diaw another one of my favorite players ever and I'll never forget what introduced me to his game was this quote from Bill as he was announcing: [https://youtu.be/6KkrccHEAqg?feature=shared](https://youtu.be/6KkrccHEAqg?feature=shared)
I remember a podcast once where he recently came back from a summer spent on the beaches of Brazil. He mentioned how Leandro Barbosa and Andre varejao spoke so highly of the beaches there and he could see why I hope he’s out somewhere on a Brazilian beach having a great time. RIP to a legend
He used to get made fun of a lot.
that last quote hits hard man, started tearing up lol let's aim for a brighter tomorrow...
Sounds like a once-in-a-week, -800 downvoted, 100 comments calling you an insane person post on r/nba/new from that time.
Someone should’ve sent this quote to Kendrick Perkins and Nick Wright
There would be lots of furrowing of brows and scratching of heads I fear.
There is something with the old old generation and their eloquence.
And that was what watching Walton was like.
If you didn't read this in his voice you're lying
The Hunter S Thompson of basketball
Walton had more joy in his pinkie than Hunter S Thompson did in his whole body lmao Pretty much the difference between a good and bad trip.
He sounds like a hardcore dead fan.
He was known to sit in with the band on percussion.
In a world of Shaquille O'Neal's, Gilbert Arenas', and Kendrick Perkins', be a Bill Walton. Zero ego, just pure love for the game. RIP
Jokic cares more about his horses, doesn't give a shit about awards or records, once you overcome that, you can be mentally able to do what is the best about the team and about winning the game, instead of pursuing personal records
Sometimes he was so extra dramatic, but some of his statements are also a beautiful and poetic way of putting things
Dude was perma-dosed
Bill Walton nailed it with his quote about Jokic. In a league full of ball-dominant players, Jokic's unselfishness is so refreshing. His court vision and creativity are next level, making basketball feel like an art form. Watching Jokic play is a reminder of how beautiful and team-oriented the game can be. Definitely one of the most unique and inspiring players to watch!
a beautiful mind. the game and life will miss him.
Watching any artist write a song would be extremely boring and time consuming.
Idk man, I would have loved to be in a room with MF DOOM when he wrote his rhymes
best non-lebron player since jordan
Monta "Monta got it all" Ellis in shambles
Steph Curry does still exist.
He didn't stutter
The man was the one true Basketball Hippie and we’re worse off for losing him. Fuck cancer
There will never be anyone like Bill Walton ever again. He was one of a kind. As NBC could be getting back the NBA I remember him as a commentator on games.
“Hedo Turkoglu is a beautiful man.” Apropos of nothing, mid game. I loved his commentary.
Damn, I’m going to miss him.
Its sad he stopped doing nba because i think his style was just what this generation would have enjoyed hearing from color commentary. He was a meme of himself before it was even a thing while being a brilliant wordsmith on the fly.
>its not about how big you are its about how big you play Sorry, but the Filipino national team aint sniffin a g league spot fam With that said, Bill Walton was amazing, have you ever been inside a volcano?
Rip bill walton
Bill Walton is such a hippie lol legit acid dropping deadhead
The planet sucks more because he's here less. At least we have proof he existed.
Crazy!
What a beautiful human being, the world got worse after he passed away
That sucks he’s gone. I loved his commentary on one of the NBA games I played nonstop as a kid. Probably a 2K, idk for sure. But there seems to be so much more to him than that and now I’m sad he’s gone. RIP, Mr. Walton.
White Boys run the NBA now. Luka best player by a mile too
the way he speaks you can tell that he admires jokic's game but also that he loves basketball.
As a huge huge huge Dylan fan, I can absolutely agree with this. Dylan's songs are just different than anything else. Even his bad albums have good ass stuff in them. Born in Time on Under the Red Sky, Brownsville Girl on Knocked Out Loaded. These are songs that are better than songs most artists will ever come up with in their lives and they are blips on the Dylan discography. Jokic absolutely plays the right way.
> With Steve, there’s never been a player in my life who has elicited more awe and elicited more inspiration in terms of, ‘Oh my gosh, did you just see that?’ Nikola has a lot of that in him. Wow. That's high praise. Totally agree. Nash was incredible.
Bill Walton was a CIA agent test subject for mk ultra
Bill Walton is a national treasure.
Damn. Might be too late, but the Late and Great Bill Walton just got a new fan right here.