Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who breathed life into broadcasts from McKale Center, dies at 71

Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who famously brought his passion for life and Pac-12 basketball to Tucson's McKale Center as a television broadcaster, died Monday at the age of 71.

An NBA release Monday morning said Walton died earlier in the day after a "prolonged battle with cancer" while surrounded by family. One of Walton's sons, Luke, played for the Wildcats in the late 1990s and early 2000s under Lute Olson before going on to an NBA playing and coaching career.

Bill Walton starred as a center at UCLA before the Portland Trail Blazers made him the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. He went on to become a two-time NBA all star during an injury plagued pro career, enduring multiple surgeries during and after his playing career.

“I was going to kill myself,” Walton said in 2015 about all the time he spent largely living on his floor. “More people kill themselves from spine problems than from any other malady because the pain is overwhelming."

Walton's life turned around after an experimental 2009 spinal fusion surgery in which two titanium rods and four four-inch bolts were inserted to effectively give him a structure that would help him stand up and walk around.

Walton went on to become known for his broadcasting and philanthropic work, serving as an analyst both for NBA and college games, while becoming an outspoken supporter of the Pac-12. In recent seasons, Walton worked both for ESPN and Pac-12 Networks, often bragging about the "Conference of Champions" and its accomplishments on and off the court.

Around McKale Center and during Pac-12 broadcasts, Walton was known for his tangential discussions about the league's schools, philosophy, history and local culture — all while analyzing games.

During any given UA broadcast, he might mention topics such as Mount Lemmon (which he once reached by bicycle), Sonoran Desert flora, Biosphere 2, Linda Ronstadt, or just remind viewers that Olson “brought water to the desert.”

Often, Walton's references were on the oblique side of things. While Arizona freshman Stanley Johnson shot free throws during a 2014-15 game against Colorado at McKale Center, Walton subtly dished on Colorado's then-recent legalization of marijuana.

“One of the coolest things about basketball — and Colorado — is that it’s all about innovation and Colorado recently did some fantastic things up there,” Walton said. “Since they have changed the culture in Colorado, the crime rate has plummeted. Down 14 percent there. Who would have ever thought?”

There will never be another quite like Bill Walton.His ESPN family will miss him dearly ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mvS0Sh5iWZ

— ESPN (@espn) May 27, 2024

Walton's style wasn't for everybody. But Matt Ensor, Arizona's associate athletic director for communications, noted the effect that his positivity and humor "transcended barriers." Ensor has also credited Walton for bringing attention to other aspects of the university.

"When someone would email me upset about Bill calling a game, I would often reply with a picture of the line of people in McKale waiting for an autograph or a picture after every game he called," Ensor said. "I never heard anything more from those emails."

During Pac-12 broadcasts, Walton also developed a famously entertaining odd-couple relationship with Phoenix-based play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch, who often had to reel in Walton when moments in the game demanded attention on the court.

Among other exchanges, Walton once presented Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species as a gift to Pasch, who is a creationist.

"I wanna make sure that you believe in evolution," Walton said.

“I don’t,” Pasch said, quickly setting the book down. “But I’ll put this right over here.”

Walton continued: “I believe in science. And evolution. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon.”

Later, Walton and Pasch largely laughed off that interaction, showing a mutual respect that lasted the length of their 12-year regular partnership. Pasch said  that neither of them became offended, noting that "we have different personalities and different beliefs on a lot of things so that’s what makes for a good team.”

On Monday, while ESPN aired a clip of Walton waving a saguaro around Pasch's head, Pasch expressed a similar sentiment in speaking of his passing.

"Bill and I had a special friendship," Pasch said. "He used to take the headset off during a commercial break and say to me, `I love you. But don't tell anybody.'

"I think he just enjoyed the fact that I was a sparring partner. He could have fun with me and just take shots at me, and I knew that was all part of the game. Off the air, we had a great friendship."

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Walton's reputation crossed out of the sports world during the 2022-23 season, when Saturday Night Live actor James Austin Johnson spoofed him during an "interview" with Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che, who introduced Walton as an NBA analyst who is “also, overall, a little weird.”

The mock Walton answered appropriately.

“Michael, I am an athlete. I am an analyst. I am a spiritual nomad. I am a curious nymph in God’s astonishing garden,” he said, adding that his spirit guide was a “headless Babylonian priestess.”

Che then asked “Walton” repeatedly if the Lakers would make the playoffs. As Walton did during Pac-12 broadcasts, the mock Walton swerved around verbally while appearing to also be calling a game.

“Yes, the Lakers can make the playoffs if they can answer one simple question: Is there an afterlife?” he said. “And what scientific basis is there for the persistence of their soul after death? Ooh, foul on Davis. That’s his fourth.

“Only unity with the stars, our place in the massive firmament, to be cradled in our creator’s magnificent bosom ... ”

The real Walton marveled over the characterization, tweeting a day later that "there I was, alone in my hotel room, in glorious Oregon, trying to come down, from the veritable quandaries of yet another scintillating buzzer-beating ending to a Conference of Champions BB game. I had the TV on, suddenly, I was watching and listening to myself, and it all came into focus, and everything was crystal clear.”

Five days after the SNL skit, before working an Arizona-USC game in Los Angeles, Walton told the Star that “it was very nice to have someone to talk to,” when referring to the fake Walton on SNL. Walton added that he was "looking forward to working with quality play-by-play guys like Michael Che.”

Walton was also known as one of the hardest-working commentators in college basketball, often spending time before games researching or filming segments about the non-athletic aspects of schools he was visiting and showing up several hours before games to prepare notes and speak with participants.

“Bill Walton was truly one of a kind," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position. His unique all-around skills made him a dominant force at UCLA and led to an NBA regular-season and Finals MVP, two NBA championships and a spot on the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

"Bill then translated his infectious enthusiasm and love for the game to broadcasting, where he delivered insightful and colorful commentary which entertained generations of basketball fans. But what I will remember most about him was his zest for life. He was a regular presence at league events – always upbeat, smiling ear to ear and looking to share his wisdom and warmth. I treasured our close friendship, envied his boundless energy and admired the time he took with every person he encountered."

Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's senior VP of basketball, noted both Walton's dominance as a player for UCLA and the engaging commentator he became.

"Bill Walton was a brilliant, interesting, thoughtful, humorous, and genuine soul who loved life and cared about everyone he encountered," Gavitt said. "He will be dearly missed by all of us who were fortunate enough to share his friendship.

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, meanwhile, played off one of Walton's top catchphrases while expressing condolences in his statement,

"Bill often described himself as `the luckiest guy in the world,' but anyone who had the opportunity to interact with Bill was the lucky one," Pitaro said. "He was a truly special, giving person who always made time for others. Bill's one-of-a-kind spirit captivated and inspired audiences during his second career as a successful broadcaster."

Walton continued working Pac-12 games through the middle of last season but did not show for several Arizona games late in the season that he was assigned, nor for the Pac-12 Tournament. Former Wildcats Matt Muehlebach and Richard Jefferson filled in for Walton during his final UA assignments, and reasons were not given for Walton's absence.

Walton wound up working only one UA game at McKale Center last season, during the Wildcats' 97-50 win over Colorado on Jan. 4. He also worked Arizona's Jan. 25 loss at Oregon State for the Pac-12 Networks.

Although Walton lobbied the University of California Regents to overturn UCLA's June 2022 decision to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, a decision that helped lead to the Pac-12's implosion in August 2023, Walton generally avoided speaking of the conference's demise last season.

Walton wound up passing away less than two days after the Pac-12's final event, Arizona's championship win over USC in the Pac-12 baseball tournament on Saturday in Scottsdale.

Photos: Bill Walton's (1952-2024) ongoing connection to Tucson, basketball and the Pac-12