How Celtics Honored Bill Walton During Game 1 of the NBA Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
With emotions already high ahead of tipoff for Game 1 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics took the time to honor the life and legacy of one of their own: 1986 champion Bill Walton.
Walton, who lost his battle with cancer last month at age 71, was a Basketball Hall of Famer, a two-time NCAA champion at UCLA, a two-time NBA champion (the other won with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, when he reached the Finals MVP), and a league MVP before becoming an Emmy-winning broadcaster.
Before the national anthem for Thursday night’s Game 1 game, the Celtics took time to recognize the Walton family in attendance before releasing a tribute video for the franchise legend. The video featured scenes from Walton’s two seasons with the Celtics, including highlights from the 1985–86 championship-winning season in which Walton won the Sixth Man of the Year award.
You can watch the full tribute in the video player above.
Boston also paid tribute to Walton by handing out pins with his name on them to the crowd, while Celtics players wore warm-up shirts with his name on them just before tip-off.
“The (Celtics) team was looking for a way to honor him tonight, and in addition to a pregame moment, the (Celtics) players are going to wear a special Bill Walton shooting jersey. … We’re happy with that,” NBA said commissioner Adam Silver on the tribute during his press conference at TD Garden before Game 1.
