Dave Pasch comments on death of broadcast partner Bill Walton
The basketball community has come together on Monday to mourn the death of NBA legend turned entertaining commentator, Bill Walton.
Many have expressed the heartfelt condolences throughout the day on social media. Dave Pasch, his longtime broadcast partner for Pac-12 and various college basketball games, has now commented on his Walton’s tragic passing. He kept it brief, for now.
“There will never be another Bill. Love & miss you my friend.”
Once Walton’s basketball career came to an end, he turned to broadcasting beginning in 1990. He had been doing Pac-12 basketball games full-time since the inception of the Pac-12 Network in 2012. Pasch joined him in the booth one year later and the pair’s chemistry grew over the next decade and change and became many fan’s favorite commentating duo to listen to.
He also worked for CBS, NBC and various NBA teams as a color commentator, including the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings in the early years of his broadcast career.
However, his basketball career is much more memorable. Former UCLA star and 1974 No. 1 overall draft pick won a pair of NBA championships during his playing career — in 1977 as the centerpiece of the Trail Blazers, and in 1986 as the sixth man for one of the great Celtics teams. Plus, he also won the 1978 MVP.
Unfortunately, he had to battle injuries throughout his career, resulting in more than 30 surgeries mostly on his ankles and feet. Such setbacks ultimately kept him from remaining in his late-70s form for very long, but at his peak, Walton was the very best player in the NBA for a brief moment.
At UCLA, Walton was also the best player for a time and won three consecutive National Player of the Year awards while also leading the Bruins to back-to-back national titles. He was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after both seasons.
Bill Walton played in the NBA from 1974-1988, ending his career with the Boston Celtics after he had helped them win the title in ’86. After ’88, though, he was forced to retire from basketball due to his overwhelming number of injury issues.
Despite a career marred by health problems, Walton is still on the NBA’s list of their 50 greatest players. Few players have ever been as successful as Bill Walton at both the college and professional level.
On3’s Alex Weber contributed to this report.