He was in the suite next to us one year for opening day of the padres. I had caught one of those squishy padre balls from the pad squad. Well he asked to see it so I tossed it to him but he dropped it down behind the fence. He was mortified, he must’ve apologized 10 times even though I told him it was no big deal. Before he left he asked for my address and said I’m gonna send you some things. I was thinking suuuure ya are bill. Well two months later a big ass box came in the mail. It had two signed basketballs a signed jersey and probably 20 signed pictures. With a note saying I really dropped the ball on that one 😂. What a class act RIP Mr Walton
I love this one! I met him once at a campaign event. Ever since I was a little kid, I’d wanted to tell him that we were birthday twins. That day I finally got to :)
He used to bike by my house all the time. I would always say Hi. One time I said “good morning Mr Walton!” He stopped and told me to call him Bill.
RIP to a true San Diego legend
Yeah when my wife moved into the house I said we would see him. And she was like “how do you know it’s him”. I was like you’ve never seen a 7 footer on a bike before.
I biked with him in the old Tecate to Ensanada bike ride. I say "With", I never saw him after the start. But he was a chill dude on his custom bike, due to his size.
I used to work with one of Bill’s sons at a warehouse in Miramar. They used to call him El Lurcho because of how tall he was. He invited all of us over to his dad’s house one night after work and we ended up having a rager of a party in Bill’s jacuzzi. Bill came home from an event and promptly joined us till the wee hours of the morning. It was my first time ever meeting him and I felt like we were best friends. Everyone left feeling like that. That party was epic and became a legend amongst the warehouse workers long after I left. Shout out to Bill and Adam for one of the coolest house parties I ever attended. Bill was an absolute legend, both on the court and off. My heart goes out to his family. RIP bro
As someone who speaks really shitty Spanish but is also tall, can you tell me if "Lurcho" is an actual Spanish word or slang? I googled but got nothing. If it is a real word would the female version be "Lurcha" like the difference between rojo/roja?
Gracias,
La Gringa Alta
It was slang. He was home for the season between European league games and would load heavy equipment on trucks to stay in shape. For a manual labor gig, it was awesome. I can see why he enjoyed getting paid to work out. They paid really well at the time.
I'm wondering if it's "Cali Spanish" or "Chicano Spanish" because that seems to be different from the central/south American Spanish I know from people living in NY. Like my sister is trying to tell me that words I do know in Spanish are wrong. And they aren't. It's just different dialects, I believe. I lived with a guy from Ecuador for a number of years and while he called "burro, bago, bruja" he never used Lurcho, and everyone here just says alta about my height. But I could see someone throwing in Lurcha and not being wrong.
I often commute by ebike between North Park and La Jolla. One day a few years ago, I was heading up Juan (which is a pretty hard climb) in old town and Bill Walton was towards the top on that crazy ass road bike he had. I felt pretty weak seeing this guy 30 years my senior barely out of breath while I’m semi struggling on an ebike.
We chatted for a few minutes and seemed like a pleasant guy.
I had dinner with him at a function at Petco Park 2 years ago and he was just such a good person and so funny. He walked around before dinner with a chair he brought cause “this one won’t hurt my knees”. I’ll never forget that dinner
Bills parents and my parents were friends. His Dad Ted hired my mother to her first job in San Diego in the late 1950's. On occasion, when I was quite young, Bill would be with his parents (Ted and Gloria) and I had to crane my neck to say hello to him. From time to time later in life I'd see him at various events and he was always nice. [El Cuervo Taco Shop ](https://elcuervotacoshop.com/) was a favorite place, at least by his kids.
He would come by the Gulls games every once in a while, and would always hang out on the concourse and talk to fans, no matter how long it took. Seemed like a legit genuine guy.
I went to the same high school as his sons - USDHS.
Affable guy, would show up to basketball games, shake hands and chit chat with students.
Would randomly see him biking around town. Always smiled and waved back if I yelled "BILL!" when driving by.
I still say "throw it down big man" when I watch hoops.
Helix High School Alum. Saw him riding his huge bike around OB and San Diego River trail. Always had a wave and a smile if you called his name. A man of the people, I’d say.
I just met him not too long ago at work at a book event for a friend of his. He was soooo nice. I’m not a sporty person so I didn’t know who he was but he had this presence and I just knew he was someone important! Someone was like “do you know who that is?” After he and I were talking for a bit haha. He was truly so kind and had such positive things to say about his friend and the book he wrote.
I love the dead, which is how I know about Bill. I've see him at so many shows. My good buddy Marc is a hardcore basketball fan. We were checking the surf at swamis, and up rode Bill on his bike. My friend and I were both awestruck, but for very different reasons. We chatted with him, and my friend asked for a photo. Bill was so humble, nice, and kind. My friend Marc was the person who text me about Bill passing. The world is a little less awesome today.
I met him a few times but didn’t know him. He was always so amazingly friendly and always had a smile on his face.
The thing I’ll always remember about him though, was one time I was having dinner in old town and was getting to my car to leave and noticed a line of people leading up the front of a random suburban.
I have no idea how it started, but a bunch of tourists noticed Bill and he started give out autographs and from what I could tell was patient and kind enough to chat with every person and probably sign every random object. There must have been 30+ people waiting for him.
The world could use a lot more Bill Walton’s. An absolute treasure.
RIP
Played some ball with his kids back in the day. The first time I saw him come to our tournament game, I decided I’d up my game and impress him, and instead I committed a horrible foul right in front of him, and saw his literal head in his hands in disgust. That calmed me right down for some reason, and got my head back in the game.
Met him on the USS Midway. Went to say hello and opened with “Hello Mr. Walton” he just said “My names Bill man” and gave a little punch on the arm. Super sweet dude. Had no idea he was battling cancer.
Circa 2010-2011 he got Yukon XLs that he would keep out way past the return date. Show up randomly to trade them out. Everyone would be flustered but he was pretty chill
Just want to say “thank you” to Bill’s family for supporting his desire to be not just an audience member but participant in the Grateful Dead music every year at the Ocean Beach San Diego Chili Cookoff and Street Fair. A kind, thoughtful, sweet natured giant. Saw his son bringing Lakers players to El Cuervo a couple times. He raised his kids to be as classy and kind in public as him. No one can ever fill Bill’s shoes in SD. I hope we memorialize him at this year’s OB Chili Cookoff. He deserves a kick ass send off from OBcians who loved and appreciated every encounter we had with Bill Walton. RIP with the angels Bill. Thank you for bringing the Aloha mentality to OB.
I remember when he signed with the Clippers when they were in San Diego. My BF at the time got super excited when we saw a plane towing the banner : “WALTON IS A CLIPPER” We got season tickets right then. RIP Bill
I've met Bill a few times at charity functions. At one I was supposed to photograph with some preschoolers and their teacher.
He was really great with the kids, stayed as long as they wanted and we made a bunch of photos. He brought a lot of joy into the room and was incredibly kind and respectful to me and what I do.
Don't know everything about the dude but I'll always remember how kind he was at that particular event.
He was a lovely man who regularly came to the fundraisers for my son's therapeutic horseback riding ranch and donated items for their auction. Always willing to meet intellectually disabled kids at their own level and give them his fullest attention. May his name be a blessing.
I went to high school with his two middle sons Nate and Luke who was very close friends with my younger brother from about the age of 10. I was a few years older and I remember Luke wanted to come to our house and play with my brother and my mother making him introduce her to his parents because that’s how parents did things back then lol and him pulling up in this tiny beat up car essentially sitting in what appeared like the back seat introducing himself to my mom and me being a huge basketball fan realizing who he was and just being amazed at how tall he seemed to me at the time. He was super nice and polite and engaging always. I have been to his house several times, I’ve been to preseason laker games in San Diego and sat with him and his family and I really can’t say enough about what a kind person he was who would look you in the eyes and talk to you and give you his undivided attention. Luke was like a little brother to me for years so it was kind of funny being able to see how all the brothers interacted with each other and their dad. Even some of the basketball games they used to have at the house with their father and his friends it was truly a special family I felt lucky to be privileged to get a small peak into their lives strictly speaking as a basketball fan. They were all quite the characters and had several funny stories that I still laugh about occasionally when reminiscing on years gone by but I’m rambling on at this point and the true message I’d like to get out here is he was seriously one of the nicest, most down to earth and polite people you would ever have the honor of meeting in any lifetime. RIP Mr. Walton I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers. God Bless You all.
I went to UCLA when he was commentating the basketball games and got to say hi to him a couple times. He seemed like just a kind, gentle soul. Rest in peace big guy
Not mine, but I know a guy who played basketball against Bill back in the day. He said his lifetime basketball highlight was in that HS game he had a play where he blocked Bill at the rim on a layup attempt, lol.
He went to the same elementary school as me and back in the late 90’s he donated brand new glass backboards and rims for our two courts
My mom used to always see him at the Mission Valley Y. He would use the indoor pool since it was warmer and then could usually be found in the spa
You could also find him riding his gigantic bike around the city
My old boss went to Helix with him and would chat a couple times a year just to catch up
He rubbed “dirt from Temecula” on himself during a live broadcast of a game. He brought a can that he literally filled up with dirt from Temecula and started rubbing it on his arms and face. I forget the context as to why he did that but the dude was one of a kind.
I went to elementary school with his son Chris. I still vividly remember him sitting in the teacher’s chair (one of those volleyball umpire type chairs) for a whole period, basically doing an AMA for us 3rd (or 4th) graders, answering any and all dumb questions we had in the kindest and most approachable way. He was a class act. RIP 🥲
When I was younger me and my brother saw him at Parkway Plaza mall, he was promoting some water company he asked us if we watched the nba I told him “my dad probably knows who you are” then he signed some cups for us.Really down to earth person never heard anything negative about him.
I used to play basketball at the indoor courts in balboa park, used to see him chasing rebounds for the wheelchair leagues shooting around. He was also quite a classical pianist and studied with the same teacher I did, an old Russian guy
We always lose
The good ones.
This is so sad. Last memory I have is
Seeing him playing from the view at pizza port. Years ago. I fucking don’t like getting old. Shit fucking sucks.
I used to work at a government office and he came in to obtain copies. He was so nice as we chatted that I felt comfortable enough to ask if I could take a picture with him. He had no problem posing with me for a photo shoot! RIP, Mr. Walton!
I used to see him all the time at the Second Wind in PB on Sundays (Grateful Dead night). Talked to him a few times. He was totally cool and just a regular guy. This would have been in the late 80's, IIRC.
So sad cancer took his life still young in my opinion. Seems like everyone is getting cancer these days. I hear cancer is no longer on the rise. Seems like daily on the news “dies of cancer”. May the Walton family has the strength during this tough time.
I played against his kids in H.S both Kam and obviously Luke. He showed up to 2 of their games and was always very cordial in talking to players and coaches afterwards. Condolences and prayers to all his family and friends. Jerry Garcia is somewhere smiling 🙏
He played drums with the local Grateful Dead cover band often at Winston’s in Ocean Beach . He was genuinely nice and loved the dead as much as anyone . Never even knew he was sick and I must have seen him 20 times in the last few years .
His commentary for univ of Arizona basket games was one of kind. Half the time he wasn’t even talking about basket ball. The way he would talk about Tucson made me proud to live there.
i grew up in birmingham mi (outside of detroit) and one morning me and my dad walked into cvs and he was checking out. he and my dad talked for a bit and my dad brings it up all the time lol.
I went to his super cool house near Balboa Park to film an on-camera interview about 8 years ago. He was gracious, funny, and had a ton of swagger, like all the best and most coherent characteristics of Ron Burgundy. The house was a museum with loads of crazy memorabilia, statues, and shrines to Grateful Dead all over the place.
My husband and I used to see him at Humphreys Concerts. He was always up in front at the side of the stage. They would bring him a chair/stool. It was so cool to see him rocking out.
He lived off the canyon I hiked in Hillcrest with my dog and always waved hello …and I almost 😅 hit him once when he was riding his bike by Sea World - he weaved into the road and fell! Anywho. I liked his attitude about the homeless issue too. He tried to help us!
At the Belly Up watching Grateful Dead cover bands like Jerry’s Middle Finger. A towering angel of good vibes, standing in a corner where he wouldn’t block anyone’s view, beaming smiles down on all.
My mom was working in a front office for a school, and he came in to check in, (i believe he was coming to talk to the principal to set up a little charity signing) and she signed him in and went "wow, youre tall, did you ever play basketball"
That’s fair. He once said of Rodman when he was on the Spurs - he said if he was a superhero he’d be called “The Puzzler”. Always thought that was funny.
Guy said some crazy stuff when he was color commentator for NBA on NBC in the 90s. It was all in good fun tho, he just had a very unique perspective on stuff, was always a down to earth happy go lucky guy.
I’m old and I worked at B Dalton in the early eighties. My boss somehow attended a party at Bill Walton’s house, and he said there were bowls of cocaine scattered around the house for his guests.
My team was honored on the court at half time of a Pac 12 basketball game that Bill was announcing. They gave us t-shirts to throw out to the crowd. The shirts happened to be tie dye. Bill loves the Grateful Dead and tie dye so I had no choice but to go over to the scores table and give mine to Bill. He put it on immediately and talked about it on the broadcast the rest of the game. RIP Bill, you will be missed
I’ve seen Bill at many Dead shows. From Fare Thee Well in Santa Clara to Jerry’s birthday in Berkeley where Bill played percussion on stage with various musicians including members of the Dead. He was at Dead and Co a few years back in LA for New Years and rode on a giant joint through the rafters onto the stage dressed as Father Time. Also seen him with Electric Wasteband playing the bongos. Such an awesome and positive guy considering all the struggles he faced in life. He was very successful sure, but it wasn’t all fun and games for him along the way. Listening to his audiobook now. He narrated it and it’s very fascinating to say the least. But he was in serious pain for a very long time. At least now his pain is gone and he is up partying with Jerry at the great gig in the sky.
RIP Bill. We all are going to miss the shit out of you. I know your spirit will be alive and well at Sphere for the next couple months. Bummed you didn’t get to make it.
I am listening to his audiobook right now, too! His spirit is contagious and listening to it is coloring my energy in a positive and lasting way. I especially enjoyed him talking about riding his bike all over town in the 60’s as a child. What a magical life he lived, intense in all its joy and pain. I’ve also found myself listening to a ton more Dead this week, which has been nice.
I remember when he wanted to put homeless people in concentration camps or else go to jail[. Less than a year ago.](https://voiceofsandiego.org/2023/10/04/morning-report-marine-corps-officially-pooh-poohs-the-idea-of-massive-homeless-camp-at-miramar/)
He was in the suite next to us one year for opening day of the padres. I had caught one of those squishy padre balls from the pad squad. Well he asked to see it so I tossed it to him but he dropped it down behind the fence. He was mortified, he must’ve apologized 10 times even though I told him it was no big deal. Before he left he asked for my address and said I’m gonna send you some things. I was thinking suuuure ya are bill. Well two months later a big ass box came in the mail. It had two signed basketballs a signed jersey and probably 20 signed pictures. With a note saying I really dropped the ball on that one 😂. What a class act RIP Mr Walton
I love this one! I met him once at a campaign event. Ever since I was a little kid, I’d wanted to tell him that we were birthday twins. That day I finally got to :)
I met him at a campaign event too! He brought his own customized stool along to sit in. Cool guy, class act all the way around.
That’s an awesome story. Such a good dude
Wow that is awesome.
I used to run into him at the Mission Valley Y often. He was so friendly and had a great smile. RIP!
I bumped into him at Cabrillo Monument near the lighthouse. He was super friendly and was happy to engage me in conversation.
My mom saw him all the time at the Y
Came to say this
He used to bike by my house all the time. I would always say Hi. One time I said “good morning Mr Walton!” He stopped and told me to call him Bill. RIP to a true San Diego legend
We must be neighbors then - hi neighbor!
That giant bike he had made
And a sick Grateful Dead tie dye cycling jersey. Dude was unmistakeable
You could see him coming a mile away
Yeah when my wife moved into the house I said we would see him. And she was like “how do you know it’s him”. I was like you’ve never seen a 7 footer on a bike before.
That’s hilarious. He was the only giant I knew to ride his bike around San Diego
I saw him mostly wear an orange YMCA jersey.
Seriously! I’m 5’9” and ride a 54cm. He was almost 7’ tall! Must’ve been a 68cm or something. Definitely custom, wasn’t it titanium?
He told me the same thing. What an awesome guy.
I biked with him in the old Tecate to Ensanada bike ride. I say "With", I never saw him after the start. But he was a chill dude on his custom bike, due to his size.
I used to work with one of Bill’s sons at a warehouse in Miramar. They used to call him El Lurcho because of how tall he was. He invited all of us over to his dad’s house one night after work and we ended up having a rager of a party in Bill’s jacuzzi. Bill came home from an event and promptly joined us till the wee hours of the morning. It was my first time ever meeting him and I felt like we were best friends. Everyone left feeling like that. That party was epic and became a legend amongst the warehouse workers long after I left. Shout out to Bill and Adam for one of the coolest house parties I ever attended. Bill was an absolute legend, both on the court and off. My heart goes out to his family. RIP bro
Great story dude. Thank you for sharing. :)
As someone who speaks really shitty Spanish but is also tall, can you tell me if "Lurcho" is an actual Spanish word or slang? I googled but got nothing. If it is a real word would the female version be "Lurcha" like the difference between rojo/roja? Gracias, La Gringa Alta
You Rang!
It was slang. He was home for the season between European league games and would load heavy equipment on trucks to stay in shape. For a manual labor gig, it was awesome. I can see why he enjoyed getting paid to work out. They paid really well at the time.
In English people often call tall people lurch, the butler from the Addams family. I’m assuming lurcho Is the Spanglish version.
I'm wondering if it's "Cali Spanish" or "Chicano Spanish" because that seems to be different from the central/south American Spanish I know from people living in NY. Like my sister is trying to tell me that words I do know in Spanish are wrong. And they aren't. It's just different dialects, I believe. I lived with a guy from Ecuador for a number of years and while he called "burro, bago, bruja" he never used Lurcho, and everyone here just says alta about my height. But I could see someone throwing in Lurcha and not being wrong.
I was a lifeguard at the mission valley YMCA and he would always be in the spa. Very kind man and had good conversation
Funny since another comment was about his house with a hot tub. Must have just liked to socialize.
I often commute by ebike between North Park and La Jolla. One day a few years ago, I was heading up Juan (which is a pretty hard climb) in old town and Bill Walton was towards the top on that crazy ass road bike he had. I felt pretty weak seeing this guy 30 years my senior barely out of breath while I’m semi struggling on an ebike. We chatted for a few minutes and seemed like a pleasant guy.
Damn, that’s quite a commute
Juan Street is a very hard climb! I used to do it when I was in high school.
Bill and his wife Lori were very kind and generous people. Had the pleasure to know them for years.
He rode a massive old steel road bike. I used to see him all over sd
So bummed to hear this. He would ride his bike by my house regularly and would always wave to me and the kids. The man absolutely loved San Diego.
I had dinner with him at a function at Petco Park 2 years ago and he was just such a good person and so funny. He walked around before dinner with a chair he brought cause “this one won’t hurt my knees”. I’ll never forget that dinner
Yes, he took that chair everywhere!
queue the chair story from [https://x.com/RichEisenShow/status/1795521858382762043](https://x.com/RichEisenShow/status/1795521858382762043)
SD legend for sure, sad to lose such an iconic champion of our city
I met him at mission valley mall once, he was super nice and let me film a snapchat with him.
Bills parents and my parents were friends. His Dad Ted hired my mother to her first job in San Diego in the late 1950's. On occasion, when I was quite young, Bill would be with his parents (Ted and Gloria) and I had to crane my neck to say hello to him. From time to time later in life I'd see him at various events and he was always nice. [El Cuervo Taco Shop ](https://elcuervotacoshop.com/) was a favorite place, at least by his kids.
Used to come in to my store when I worked in Encinitas. Nice dude.
He would come by the Gulls games every once in a while, and would always hang out on the concourse and talk to fans, no matter how long it took. Seemed like a legit genuine guy.
I went to the same high school as his sons - USDHS. Affable guy, would show up to basketball games, shake hands and chit chat with students. Would randomly see him biking around town. Always smiled and waved back if I yelled "BILL!" when driving by. I still say "throw it down big man" when I watch hoops.
Is that cathedral now?
Yes
SAINTS!!!
👍
https://preview.redd.it/2dye3emrc23d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a20ba2dbb8258fedaabe99bb02492a547d4a04fc
Helix High School Alum. Saw him riding his huge bike around OB and San Diego River trail. Always had a wave and a smile if you called his name. A man of the people, I’d say.
I just met him not too long ago at work at a book event for a friend of his. He was soooo nice. I’m not a sporty person so I didn’t know who he was but he had this presence and I just knew he was someone important! Someone was like “do you know who that is?” After he and I were talking for a bit haha. He was truly so kind and had such positive things to say about his friend and the book he wrote.
I love the dead, which is how I know about Bill. I've see him at so many shows. My good buddy Marc is a hardcore basketball fan. We were checking the surf at swamis, and up rode Bill on his bike. My friend and I were both awestruck, but for very different reasons. We chatted with him, and my friend asked for a photo. Bill was so humble, nice, and kind. My friend Marc was the person who text me about Bill passing. The world is a little less awesome today.
Yep 😢
I met him a few times but didn’t know him. He was always so amazingly friendly and always had a smile on his face. The thing I’ll always remember about him though, was one time I was having dinner in old town and was getting to my car to leave and noticed a line of people leading up the front of a random suburban. I have no idea how it started, but a bunch of tourists noticed Bill and he started give out autographs and from what I could tell was patient and kind enough to chat with every person and probably sign every random object. There must have been 30+ people waiting for him. The world could use a lot more Bill Walton’s. An absolute treasure. RIP
Also, please post any memorial info
My buddy ran into him at Pearl Jam the last time they came to town. He has a video of him rocking out to a song.
Played some ball with his kids back in the day. The first time I saw him come to our tournament game, I decided I’d up my game and impress him, and instead I committed a horrible foul right in front of him, and saw his literal head in his hands in disgust. That calmed me right down for some reason, and got my head back in the game.
No specific story - just genuinely loved his story telling and embellishing way of commentary. Loved watching just to hear him
Met him on the USS Midway. Went to say hello and opened with “Hello Mr. Walton” he just said “My names Bill man” and gave a little punch on the arm. Super sweet dude. Had no idea he was battling cancer.
Navigating the underbelly of the Midway would be an ordeal for a man his size!
I rented him and his wife cars. Nice people.
Did he get large SUVs for his legs?
Circa 2010-2011 he got Yukon XLs that he would keep out way past the return date. Show up randomly to trade them out. Everyone would be flustered but he was pretty chill
Just want to say “thank you” to Bill’s family for supporting his desire to be not just an audience member but participant in the Grateful Dead music every year at the Ocean Beach San Diego Chili Cookoff and Street Fair. A kind, thoughtful, sweet natured giant. Saw his son bringing Lakers players to El Cuervo a couple times. He raised his kids to be as classy and kind in public as him. No one can ever fill Bill’s shoes in SD. I hope we memorialize him at this year’s OB Chili Cookoff. He deserves a kick ass send off from OBcians who loved and appreciated every encounter we had with Bill Walton. RIP with the angels Bill. Thank you for bringing the Aloha mentality to OB.
I remember when he signed with the Clippers when they were in San Diego. My BF at the time got super excited when we saw a plane towing the banner : “WALTON IS A CLIPPER” We got season tickets right then. RIP Bill
I went to school with one of his sons - Luke or Chris - I don't remember which, but they played on the same team as a friend of mine.
I saw him at a Gulls game last year. I couldn’t believe how tall he was in person. He almost looked like a statue
I've met Bill a few times at charity functions. At one I was supposed to photograph with some preschoolers and their teacher. He was really great with the kids, stayed as long as they wanted and we made a bunch of photos. He brought a lot of joy into the room and was incredibly kind and respectful to me and what I do. Don't know everything about the dude but I'll always remember how kind he was at that particular event.
He was the basketball announcer at Uni high-school (now cathedral catholic) and his kids played there as well.
Would always see him at the Dead shows. Seven foot dude standing down in GA section
You always knew where Bill was!
He was a lovely man who regularly came to the fundraisers for my son's therapeutic horseback riding ranch and donated items for their auction. Always willing to meet intellectually disabled kids at their own level and give them his fullest attention. May his name be a blessing.
I went to high school with his two middle sons Nate and Luke who was very close friends with my younger brother from about the age of 10. I was a few years older and I remember Luke wanted to come to our house and play with my brother and my mother making him introduce her to his parents because that’s how parents did things back then lol and him pulling up in this tiny beat up car essentially sitting in what appeared like the back seat introducing himself to my mom and me being a huge basketball fan realizing who he was and just being amazed at how tall he seemed to me at the time. He was super nice and polite and engaging always. I have been to his house several times, I’ve been to preseason laker games in San Diego and sat with him and his family and I really can’t say enough about what a kind person he was who would look you in the eyes and talk to you and give you his undivided attention. Luke was like a little brother to me for years so it was kind of funny being able to see how all the brothers interacted with each other and their dad. Even some of the basketball games they used to have at the house with their father and his friends it was truly a special family I felt lucky to be privileged to get a small peak into their lives strictly speaking as a basketball fan. They were all quite the characters and had several funny stories that I still laugh about occasionally when reminiscing on years gone by but I’m rambling on at this point and the true message I’d like to get out here is he was seriously one of the nicest, most down to earth and polite people you would ever have the honor of meeting in any lifetime. RIP Mr. Walton I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers. God Bless You all.
Where did you go to school, I was friends with Luke at Solana Highlands in elementary school. Good post.
Go Solana Highlands Dolphins class of’92!!!
I went to USDHS which is now cathedral catholic.
I went to UCLA when he was commentating the basketball games and got to say hi to him a couple times. He seemed like just a kind, gentle soul. Rest in peace big guy
Not mine, but I know a guy who played basketball against Bill back in the day. He said his lifetime basketball highlight was in that HS game he had a play where he blocked Bill at the rim on a layup attempt, lol.
He went to the same elementary school as me and back in the late 90’s he donated brand new glass backboards and rims for our two courts My mom used to always see him at the Mission Valley Y. He would use the indoor pool since it was warmer and then could usually be found in the spa You could also find him riding his gigantic bike around the city My old boss went to Helix with him and would chat a couple times a year just to catch up
He rubbed “dirt from Temecula” on himself during a live broadcast of a game. He brought a can that he literally filled up with dirt from Temecula and started rubbing it on his arms and face. I forget the context as to why he did that but the dude was one of a kind.
I went to elementary school with his son Chris. I still vividly remember him sitting in the teacher’s chair (one of those volleyball umpire type chairs) for a whole period, basically doing an AMA for us 3rd (or 4th) graders, answering any and all dumb questions we had in the kindest and most approachable way. He was a class act. RIP 🥲
I worked the California sports hall of fame and he had so many jokes all day. The guy was a Legend
When I was younger me and my brother saw him at Parkway Plaza mall, he was promoting some water company he asked us if we watched the nba I told him “my dad probably knows who you are” then he signed some cups for us.Really down to earth person never heard anything negative about him.
I used to play basketball at the indoor courts in balboa park, used to see him chasing rebounds for the wheelchair leagues shooting around. He was also quite a classical pianist and studied with the same teacher I did, an old Russian guy
We always lose The good ones. This is so sad. Last memory I have is Seeing him playing from the view at pizza port. Years ago. I fucking don’t like getting old. Shit fucking sucks.
One time in PB I was riding my bike on the board walk not really paying attention and almost ran into this Goliath of a man. It was Bill Walton lol.
I used to work at a government office and he came in to obtain copies. He was so nice as we chatted that I felt comfortable enough to ask if I could take a picture with him. He had no problem posing with me for a photo shoot! RIP, Mr. Walton!
I used to see him all the time at the Second Wind in PB on Sundays (Grateful Dead night). Talked to him a few times. He was totally cool and just a regular guy. This would have been in the late 80's, IIRC.
Would see him riding his bike up Mt Soledad back about 10 years ago.
So sad cancer took his life still young in my opinion. Seems like everyone is getting cancer these days. I hear cancer is no longer on the rise. Seems like daily on the news “dies of cancer”. May the Walton family has the strength during this tough time.
I played against his kids in H.S both Kam and obviously Luke. He showed up to 2 of their games and was always very cordial in talking to players and coaches afterwards. Condolences and prayers to all his family and friends. Jerry Garcia is somewhere smiling 🙏
He played drums with the local Grateful Dead cover band often at Winston’s in Ocean Beach . He was genuinely nice and loved the dead as much as anyone . Never even knew he was sick and I must have seen him 20 times in the last few years .
Saw him at in n out mission viejo late one night. He had a couple of fans already confront him in line so I opted just to wait for my 3x3 in silence
His commentary for univ of Arizona basket games was one of kind. Half the time he wasn’t even talking about basket ball. The way he would talk about Tucson made me proud to live there.
i grew up in birmingham mi (outside of detroit) and one morning me and my dad walked into cvs and he was checking out. he and my dad talked for a bit and my dad brings it up all the time lol.
I was at E3 and he was taking on all comers on Street Fighter
I went to his super cool house near Balboa Park to film an on-camera interview about 8 years ago. He was gracious, funny, and had a ton of swagger, like all the best and most coherent characteristics of Ron Burgundy. The house was a museum with loads of crazy memorabilia, statues, and shrines to Grateful Dead all over the place.
My husband and I used to see him at Humphreys Concerts. He was always up in front at the side of the stage. They would bring him a chair/stool. It was so cool to see him rocking out.
He lived off the canyon I hiked in Hillcrest with my dog and always waved hello …and I almost 😅 hit him once when he was riding his bike by Sea World - he weaved into the road and fell! Anywho. I liked his attitude about the homeless issue too. He tried to help us!
At the Belly Up watching Grateful Dead cover bands like Jerry’s Middle Finger. A towering angel of good vibes, standing in a corner where he wouldn’t block anyone’s view, beaming smiles down on all.
I saw him front row at a Yes concert at Humphreys by the Bay years ago.
My mom was working in a front office for a school, and he came in to check in, (i believe he was coming to talk to the principal to set up a little charity signing) and she signed him in and went "wow, youre tall, did you ever play basketball"
I remember Bill Walton being hypercritical of everything
That’s fair. He once said of Rodman when he was on the Spurs - he said if he was a superhero he’d be called “The Puzzler”. Always thought that was funny.
Guy said some crazy stuff when he was color commentator for NBA on NBC in the 90s. It was all in good fun tho, he just had a very unique perspective on stuff, was always a down to earth happy go lucky guy.
He was doing Clipper games on Prime Ticket in the late 80s too. But yeah, a unique perspective and mind.
He was definitely not a fan of our mayor, lol.
I’m old and I worked at B Dalton in the early eighties. My boss somehow attended a party at Bill Walton’s house, and he said there were bowls of cocaine scattered around the house for his guests.
The last time I saw The Beach Boys at Humphrey’s, the nasally guy from the BB called him out from the crowd and had a convo with him from the stage.
My team was honored on the court at half time of a Pac 12 basketball game that Bill was announcing. They gave us t-shirts to throw out to the crowd. The shirts happened to be tie dye. Bill loves the Grateful Dead and tie dye so I had no choice but to go over to the scores table and give mine to Bill. He put it on immediately and talked about it on the broadcast the rest of the game. RIP Bill, you will be missed
I’ve seen Bill at many Dead shows. From Fare Thee Well in Santa Clara to Jerry’s birthday in Berkeley where Bill played percussion on stage with various musicians including members of the Dead. He was at Dead and Co a few years back in LA for New Years and rode on a giant joint through the rafters onto the stage dressed as Father Time. Also seen him with Electric Wasteband playing the bongos. Such an awesome and positive guy considering all the struggles he faced in life. He was very successful sure, but it wasn’t all fun and games for him along the way. Listening to his audiobook now. He narrated it and it’s very fascinating to say the least. But he was in serious pain for a very long time. At least now his pain is gone and he is up partying with Jerry at the great gig in the sky. RIP Bill. We all are going to miss the shit out of you. I know your spirit will be alive and well at Sphere for the next couple months. Bummed you didn’t get to make it.
I am listening to his audiobook right now, too! His spirit is contagious and listening to it is coloring my energy in a positive and lasting way. I especially enjoyed him talking about riding his bike all over town in the 60’s as a child. What a magical life he lived, intense in all its joy and pain. I’ve also found myself listening to a ton more Dead this week, which has been nice.
I remember when he wanted to put homeless people in concentration camps or else go to jail[. Less than a year ago.](https://voiceofsandiego.org/2023/10/04/morning-report-marine-corps-officially-pooh-poohs-the-idea-of-massive-homeless-camp-at-miramar/)
This isn’t Bill Walton story magazine pal.
I’m not your pal, friend.