Kareem Abdul-Jabbar emotionally pays tribute to Bill Walton on Bill Walton Day at UCLA

One UCLA legend paid homage to another on Sunday as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke on the impact of Bill Walton. A former Bruins and NBA player and then later a broadcaster for ESPN and the Pac-12 Network, Walton passed away from cancer last May at the age of 71.

With UCLA hosting Ohio State at Pauley Pavilion, the school declared it “Bill Walton Day” as fans wore tie-dye shirts, a Walton staple. Abdul-Jabbar was among those in attendance to honor Walton and spoke briefly with the CBS broadcast about what made him such a special person.

“I think Bill’s love for the game and his gift of gab and his love of people, all those things combined to make him an ideal broadcaster,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I really enjoyed listening to his broadcasts because he was informed and he had a sense of humor. That’s so important.”

"I really enjoyed listening to his broadcasts. He was informed and he had a sense of humor."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Bill Walton's broadcasting career. pic.twitter.com/nbMRN9BZa9

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 23, 2025

Walton played at UCLA under the legendary coach John Wooden from 1971-74, claiming the National Player of the Year award in each of his final three seasons. He also helped lead the Bruins to national championships in 1972 and 1973 in the midst of their historic 88-game winning streak.

He would then go on to be the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA Draft and helped lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a title three years later in 1977. He would add another championship to his career with the Boston Celtics in 1986 before retiring a couple of seasons later.

Fans got to know Bill Walton on a more personal level through his broadcasts, first working with CBS in 1990. He later joined NBC, staying from 1990-2002 before making the move to ESPN, where he worked until 2009 when he announced he would step down due to back problems.

Walton returned to ESPN in 2012 and would often talk during his broadcasts about his Graeful Dead fandom. He quickly became a fan favorite due to his candid style and penchant for saying off-the-wall things, truly adding color to the game with his calls.

UCLA announced that 9,015 fans were in attendance to for Bill Walton Day. The Bruins went on to defeat Ohio State by a score of 69-61 behind 20 points form Eric Dailey Jr.

It was surely a performance that would have made Walton proud, as would the sea of tie-dye shirts that filles the arena in his honor.