The world of basketball was hit with devastating news recently when Portland Trail Blazers legend, Bill Walton, passed away, who was suffering from colon cancer. Numerous current NBA players, legends, and analysts came forward to pay tribute to the two-time NBA champion, including Golden State Warriors All-Star guard, Klay Thompson.
Advertisement
In memory of Walton, Thompson went on a hike to honor the legend and what he did for people apart from basketball,
“In honor of Mr. Walton, the outdoorsman he was, I’m going on a hike today… I got my Kyrie Irving-esque walking stick.”
“In honor of Mr. Walton, the outdoorsman he was, I’m going on a hike today… I got my Kyrie Irving-esque walking stick.”
Klay Thompson honored Bill Walton by going on a hike today 🙌
(via @KlayThompson / IG)pic.twitter.com/nIoLdK19iB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 28, 2024
The video was originally posted on Instagram via Klay Thompson’s official account. Dallas Mavericks All-Star guard Kyrie Irving showed love for his tribute as he liked the post on IG.
Bill Walton was an avid trekker so much so that he found out he was drafted during one. According to FadeawayWorld, while out on a hike during the 1974 NBA draft, Walton stopped at a grocery store to buy some supplies. And that is when he knew that the Blazers had drafted him with their first overall pick.
It wasn’t Walton who would see it on the news or hear it on the radio but instead, it was the cashier who went on to inform the 6’10″ center that he was the number one overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft.
He had an illustrious career in the NBA. Besides his two NBA championships, Walton won the league MVP honors, a Finals MVP, a Sixth Man of the Year award, and was selected to play in two All-Star games.
Amid the news of his passing, some of his old comments regarding players also resurfaced. One such player was Nikola Jokic, who Walton spoke highly of and saw shades of himself in the Serbian center. Walton was one of the few centers, who had excellent court vision which helped him pass the ball to the right teammate for easy buckets.
The only downside to Walton’s illustrious career was the nagging injuries he had to deal with. Regardless, he had a terrific NBA career, and now his memory lives on among the hearts of players and fans.
![Klay Thompson will end his time with the Golden State Warriors which brought him a shower of NBA titles and All-Star appearances to join the Dallas Mavericks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Klay signing with another team besides the Dubs has raised questions as to why the veteran sharpshooter would leave his forever home and try winning somewhere else, given that Curry and Draymond still have a championship run left in the tank. Well, it appears to be a matter of respect for Klay and not money, as the former Warriors player accepted a financially inferior contract to play three years with the Mavericks. Appearing on Gil's Arena, Kenyon Martin pointed out how the Warriors paying Green his $100 million contract, and lowballing Klay only a season later is downright disrespectful, highlighting it as the cause of Thompson's departure from GSW. The 46-year-old further pointed to the fact that Klay has had a better stat line, greater impact on winning, and played more consistently than Green through the years, and still got offered a worse contract, something that definitely rubbed Klay the wrong way. Talking about his opinion further, Martin said, "You paid Draymond [Green]...I'm a bucket, I've averaged more points than him, we don't do none of this without me...And this is the thanks I get? It's a slap in the face." But Martin's interpretation of loyalty and respect seems to conflict with NFL veteran, Shannon Sharpe's interpretation of the whole situation. The former NFL tight end believes that Klay got what he deserved, and the Warriors didn't low-ball him. The 56-year-old further added that in a contract year, players are expected to show out and prove their worth. But Thompson did the opposite, as the 34-year-old posted the second-worst statistical season of his career. Airing out his opinion further, Sharpe said, "If you go back and look at it, Jordan Poole had a career year when his contract was up, they paid him. Draymond played well, they paid him. Stephen A. said last week, This is statistically Klay’s worst year.’ It happened to be in a contract year. They didn’t wrong him.” Unlike his NBA counterpart, Sharpe seems to think that Klay got paid for his legacy when the Warriors paid him $190 million over 5-years back in 2019. It's important to note that Thompson signed that contract just weeks after blowing out his ACL, and still was offered the second-largest contract in franchise history. Another NBA veteran, Richard Jefferson, also seems to be siding with his league mate, calling out the Dubs front office for their disrespect of Klay. Richard Jefferson reveals how Thompson has been demanding a better contract since X'Mas last year After the news of Thompson's signing to the Mavericks finally went official, Richard Jefferson appeared on ESPN's daily show, 'NBA Today' to call out the Warriors for fumbling the bag, and not paying Thompson his due respect and money. During his rant, the former Warriors forward highlighted an incident between him and Thompson to further point out how the contract issues between Thompson and the Warriors had been lingering for over a year. Recalling the incident, Thompson said, " This was on Christmas Day. I get off the elevator, and I see Klay, and I'm like, 'Klay, what's up?' I'm like, 'Hey man, keep your mentals right.' He's like, 'Man, tell them to pay me my money...This was on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, a guy that had won four Championships. I don't give a damn what anybody says how much money they gave him over the years because he turned their franchise around." As far as perfect situations go, the whole Klay-Warriors scenario is less than ideal. Not only do the Dubs lose out on a bona fide franchise legend and one of the best shooters to ever play the game, but Klay also needs to adjust to life in a new team, a new city, and with new teammates and coaching scenarios. He will, of course, hope that all works out well, but if it doesn't we may see a Klay that regrets his decision to leave the Warriors.](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2024/07/e368aa5e-untitled-design-2024-07-03t092652.398.jpg?format=auto&w=384&q=75)
