ESPN along with Sean Farnham, Seth Greenberg pay tribute to Bill Walton during Maui Invitational

The 2024 Maui Invitational tipped off on Monday, and ESPN took a moment to remember basketball legend Bill Walton by replaying some of his best moments during the tournament.

Walton, who died earlier this year at 71, was a staple of the invitational and is being honored in multiple ways throughout the week. That includes the video package, a courtside tribute and some of his longtime colleagues paying tribute to his legacy as ESPN’s Seth Greenberg and Sean Farnham sent touching messages his way after the one of the first games of the tournament saw Memphis upset No. 2 UConn in overtime.

As the 2024 Maui Invitational tips off across ESPN platforms, we remember beloved college basketball analyst & iconic NBA player, the late Bill Walton@MauiInv | #MauiHoops pic.twitter.com/fwXzhDjD33

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) November 25, 2024

“National treasure,” Greenberg said of the late Walton. “I mean think about it, we talk about what he’s done here at ESPN. … That guy was an incredible player. One of the smartest people I’ve ever been around. I used to joke with him, he knew more about nothing than anyone I’ve ever been around. But he always gave up his heart. Like he was the most genuinely real person that you could ever be around.

“He’s obviously dearly missed and way too soon. But an amazing, amazing human being, who happened to be one of the best college basketball players that’s ever played.”

At UCLA, Walton won three consecutive National Player of the Year, awards, while leading the Bruins to back-to-back national titles. He was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after both seasons.

After a successful college career, Walton was drafted with the No. 1 overall draft pick won a pair of NBA championships during his playing career and also won the 1978 MVP. He battled injuries throughout his career. Bill Walton played in the NBA from 1974-1988, ending his career with the Boston Celtics. He was forced to retire from basketball due to injuries.

Sean Farnham, who played his college basketball at UCLA, recalled a time when Walton reached out to him after his career with the Bruins ended. When Farnham graduated, he was called to the office of Doug Erickson, the Bruins’ long-time Director of Basketball Operations, where he received a letter from the basketball legend.

“You can’t even read what was in the card, because it was handwritten on both sides and all the way on the back,” Farnham recalled. “[It was] Bill Walton talking about my journey at UCLA, what he appreciated about UCLA.”

Walton discussed how Farnham should use the lessons he learned on and off the court and how he should apply it in his life to be successful.

“It’s something I have framed in my house,” Farnham continued. “Bill Walton didn’t need to do that. But what he did was he saw anybody that wore that uniform, whether you were an All-American like Bill was and one of the best, that you were part of a family and part of something special. And to me, it’s just who Bill was with everybody he came in contact and association with.”

After his playing days, fans were able to see his personality first-hand and was known for his unique, over-the-top style of analyzing games. He worked as a broadcaster for CBS, NBC and most recently ESPN, calling mostly Pac-12 games.

Walton and his broadcasting partner Dave Pasch formed quite the broadcasting tandem over the years, and fans regularly tuned in for their entertaining style. There’s no doubt he’d be up to his regular entertaining antics if he were in Maui today.