Tuesday, November 5, 2024
TVXOHOF TRIBUTE - REMEMBERING BILL WALTON ON HIS BIRTHDAY
From CBS Sports
[Cameron Salerno]
Former UCLA star Bill Walton, who blossomed at UCLA in the early 1970s under legendary coach John Wooden, died at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer, the NBA announced Monday. Walton, a three-time Naismith Award winner and a two-time national champion, is considered one of the greatest college basketball players ever.
After a historic college career at UCLA, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Walton with the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. Walton became a two-time NBA champion (1977 and 1986) and won NBA MVP in 1978. He retired from the NBA after the conclusion of the 1987-88 season.
Walton became a fixture on college basketball broadcasts after his playing career ended by serving as a color commentator at CBS, NBC and ABC/ESPN. While Walton was known for witty humor on Pac-12 basketball broadcasts, he helped call NBA games for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings.
It would be nice if the TVXOHOF could make it through a full year without a single memorial tribute induction. But it will not be this year for sadly, Prime Time marches on.
It took me a few days to look into Bill Walton’s “life” as a televersion in Toobworld; it never occurred to me that there would even be the minimum necessity of three TV show appearances of Walton as a League of Themselves member. So I was surprised that he covered the spread. (I probably didn’t use that phrase correctly. What do I know?)
Anyway, Bill Walton qualifies for membership in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, so this is my way of remembering him on my birthday….
From Wikipedia:
William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American professional basketball player and television sportscaster. He played college basketball at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers, and Boston Celtics. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Walton rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the starting center for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins. The 6-foot-11-inch (2.11 m) Walton won three consecutive national college player of the year awards (1972–1974), while leading UCLA to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973 and an 88-game winning streak.
After being selected as the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft, Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to the team's first NBA championship in 1977, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. The following season, Walton was the 1978 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Walton's professional career, however, was significantly hampered by foot injuries, requiring numerous surgeries (Walton underwent 37 orthopedic surgeries in his lifetime).
Walton played in 468 out of 1,148 regular season games across his 14-year NBA career. After his MVP season, Walton sat out the 1978–79 season and was then signed by the Clippers, for whom he played four injury-plagued seasons. His career was rehabilitated during two seasons with the Celtics at the end of his career. Playing as a backup center behind Robert Parish, Walton earned the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in the 1985–86 season, winning his second NBA championship. He was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
After retiring from the NBA, Walton overcame stuttering and embarked on a second career as a sportscaster, working both as a studio analyst and color commentator with several networks and teams. He earned an Emmy Award in 1991.
Walton was a fan of the Grateful Dead, as a self-described "Deadhead", and often mentioned them in his broadcasts. He hosted several podcasts and satellite radio programs featuring the music of the Grateful Dead.
After his retirement as a player, Walton became a basketball color commentator. Walton worked for CBS (1990), NCAA on CBS (1991), NBC (1990–2002), the Los Angeles Clippers (1990–2002) and ABC/ESPN (2002–2009). After 19 years working in broadcasting, he left ESPN in November 2009, as the result of back problems, which dated back to an injury he suffered in college at UCLA. Following surgery on his back, Walton returned to broadcasting as a part-time commentator for the Sacramento Kings for 2010–11 and 2011–12. In July 2012, ESPN and the Pac-12 Network announced that Walton would return to full-time broadcasting as a game analyst for Pac-12 conference basketball coverage.
Walton's 2003 TV series ‘Bill Walton's Long Strange Trip’ aired on ESPN with Walton as subject and star.
While broadcasting a Washington–Oregon January 2019 game with Dave Pasch, Walton mentioned he had appeared in the motion picture “Ghostbusters”. “Ghostbusters” was filmed in 1984 and Pasch questioned Walton about his claim throughout the game as to the specifics of his appearance and character, but Walton refused to provide more details. [Research validated Walton's claim.]
O'Bservation:
More on that later....
In 2001, Walton received an Emmy Award for "Best Live Sports Television Broadcast".
O'Bservation:
Here are the appearances which guarantee Bill Walton’s televersion a place on the court out back of the Hall*….
‘THE SENTINEL’
“THREE POINT SHOT” (1997)
Sandburg meets his hero Orville Wallace, legendary Cascade Jags basketball player, when Wallace is suspected in the killing of his confrontational fellow player, Dwight Rossman.
'PACIFIC BLUE' (1997)
The men of Pacific Blue compete in the AVP Miller Lite Open.
O’Bservation:
Walton was at the match, but in his opinion, the only chance the Pacific Blue cops had was to arrest the other team.
'INSIDE SCHWARTZ’
O'Bservation:
Walton was one of several sports figures who appeared as dream versions of themselves, serving as Schwartz's inner dialogues.
'ONE ON ONE'
"HE GOT GAME... AGAIN" (2002)
Flex plays in a charity basketball tournament with some big-time ballers.
'LESS THAN PERFECT'
Will tries to use former NBA player Bill Walton to intimidate Carl into trading a player on his fantasy team.
Among his appearances in “reality” TV shows, three should be singled out:
‘SHARK TANK’
‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’
1] SUPERSTARS OF SPORTS
S10 E165 (May, 1993)
Walton was one of three celebrity contestants, probably playing for various charities. The other two were Dick Butkus and Phil Esposito.
2] NBA WEEK 1
S21 E51 (2003)
For his return as a contestant, Walton faced off against Michael Finley and Allan Houston.
3] NBA WEEK 1
S23 E 36 (2005)
Third time's a charm! Walton had to play against Richard Jefferson AND his own son, Luke Walton!
‘JEOPARDY!’
NOVEMBER 03, 2005
According to the IMDb, Walton gave out a clue to the question during the game. But he also was the answer in two other episodes!
Meanwhile… over in the Tooniverse....
'AMERICAN DAD!'
Steve and Jeff try to bond as brothers while the rest of the family visits an escape room.
O’Bservation:
He is even represented in Skitlandia!
‘SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’
O'Bservation:
James Austin Johnson got a free shot at Walton's expense when he appeared during the Weekend News Update as Bill Walton. Michael Che wanted to know if Walton thought the Lakers had a chance in the playoffs, but the Big Red Deadhead’s vision was off in the future. Walton just happened to catch it that night from his hotel room in Oregon and he was grokking it.
Now… getting back to that reference to “GHOSTBUSTERS”….
Bill Walton wasn’t kidding. He shows up, off in the background, during the end credits. I’m giving this an honorary mention since that movie inspired a Tooniverse series and enough references in other TV series to qualify it for consideration to be inducted into the Hall of Fame – Movie Televersions – like “It’s A Wonderful Life” was last Christmas.
And so it came to pass... on Halloween!As Red Skelton used to say, “Good night and may God bless,” Bill Walton. I’m glad I checked to see if you qualified.
What a long strange trip it’s been….
