Monday was a sad day for basketball fans and the media with the passing of legendary NBA player and broadcaster Bill Walton, especially for those who knew him well, like his longtime on-air partner Dave Pasch.
The two had been calling college basketball games alongside each other since 2013 and became famous for their on-air antics, which often left viewers laughing.
“Bill and I had a special friendship,” Pasch said in an interview with “SportsCenter” Monday. “He would tell me a lot of things, he would take the headphones off during a commercial break and just say, ‘I love you, but don’t tell anyone.’ He was just enjoying the fact that I was his training partner and he could have fun with me and just shoot me.
“I knew it was all just part of the game and, off the air, we had a great friendship. Bill paid for every meal. I remember the last game I had with Bill on February 1st at USC. It was rare that we were alone. … We talked a lot about the future. It was just a conversation that I will never forget.
Walton died of cancer, his family announced Monday. He was 71 years old.
He had an outstanding 10-year basketball career that included stops with the Trail Blazers, Clippers and Celtics.
Walton moved to the broadcast booth with time at CBS, NBC and ESPN, where he began working with Pasch as an analyst on Pac-12 broadcasts.
Walton is best remembered for his funny and bizarre moments that often had little to do with what was happening on the field.
“There will never be another bill. I love and miss you my friend,” Pasch wrote on X alongside a photo of himself with Walton at a show.
New York Post
