The NBA community recently lost one of its most vibrant personalities, Bill Walton. The Hall of Famer tragically passed away at the age of 71, after his long battle with cancer. Following this heartbreaking incident, Paul Pierce reminisced about his relationship with the 2x champion, paying tribute to the legend’s character.
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During the latest Ticket & The Truth episode, Pierce mentioned, “Bill Walton was kinda intimidating…He’s not inviting at all…but when I was in the same room I remember first time, he was just like, ‘Paul, how you doing?’…Once he opens up, you see how cheerful he is. He has really got a big personality”.
After establishing his status as one of the greatest centers of all time, Walton allegedly used to carry a somewhat daunting off-court persona. However, his behavior towards the people he used to admire was entirely different. Much to Pierce’s delight, he was a part of the Big Red-Head’s close circle, strengthening their bond over time.
Kevin Garnett recalled succeeding Bill Walton in the Boston Celtics
During the show, Kevin Garnett opened up about the responsibility he was handed soon after joining the Celtics. As he wanted to embrace the number 5 jersey of the franchise, he felt honored to know that the likes of John Bagley and Walton had worn it before him. This aided in him forming a relationship with the latter, as KG revealed,
“On the side of your locker, it shows you who wore the number before you. [John] Bagley and Bill Walton is on my list for number five…When I talked to Bill, that was our connection. He was asking me, ‘Man, were you anchoring? What you seeing?’. The connection in the conversation was that”.
