Remembering Bill Walton with Lakers legends James Worthy and Mychal Thompson – Mason & Ireland

The great Bill Walton passed away over the weekend, and Ireland and Momo take some time with Lakers legends James Worthy and Mychal Thompson to remember his life and how great he was.

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we’re talking about Bill Walton and um I wanted to get Michael Thompson in here and for people who don’t know Michael was the number one over like Bill the number one overall draft pick in the whole NBA draft he was in essence taken to replace Walton who had been injured after leading the Blazers to the 77 title and Michael joins us now um Michael were you and Bill ever on the roster at the same time in Portland taking to replace Bill Walton where did you get that crazy information I was I was picked to join Bill Walton and him and Maurice Lucas in the front line because we thought bill was still on the auto roster for two years when I was there but he was on the injured list for two full years we had no intention of trading him he just had a falling out the organization the way they treated his injuries as Ramona probably knows but as far as replacing Bill walon no way nobody could replace he basically sat out a whole year right yeah so Michael did you ever play game with him as your teammate no no he was in San Diego the whole time Ramona the whole two years really uh that he was still under contract he didn’t play he was so but he never was in Portland stayed away from the team because he was upset with the team’s treatment of his injuries so I never got a chance to play with him and that is the biggest regret of my professional career all right so Michael you’re uniquely qualified to answer this a lot of younger people a lot of you know everybody basically younger than Greg like people Brian’s age never saw Bill Walton play they they know of him as a kind of a character and an announcer tell us about Bill Walton the player I’ve been told that when healthy as good as anybody is that exaggerating on my part not at all Ramona if Bill Walton could have play had a 15year career he would have been a top five Center he would have been right up there right behind probably Bill Russell Kareem wi and uh and um and Hakim alijan he would have been number five that’s how great he was Bill Walton for people like Greg Bergman and people who are young as MC was joic before joic without without the three-point shot he didn’t have a three-point shot because big man weren’t encouraged to shoot threes back then and plus they didn’t have him in the game anyway didn’t come until 1979 but when it comes to his passing his basketball IQ he was exactly like how yic is today and bill was twice make that 10 times the better Defender lead off double nothing just don’t remember him because Gail Sears his injury was is his career was cut short so quickly by injuries but he was a great great player you know um when we talk about like I always I I knew him mostly as a as a UCLA guy um and I think it’s uh what he did in Westwood as a a Collegiate player and and that that that’s when he wasn’t marred by injuries that’s when he was able to just go be Bill Walton and I think that’s why like when you when you compare him to yic that’s really why he had such an affinity for yic but the the part where I mean the guy has two championships one up in Portland their only title ever and then with the Celtics that year in 86 where he you know he was everybody’s childhood Idol growing up and he kind of joins their team as a six-man what was he like playing against in that season yeah Michael you probably had to guard him right oh yeah I had to play against him that year he’s Sixth Man of the Year he I was matter of fact that’s the greatest front line in NBA history Ramon I don’t think anybody would dispute that Walton male bird and Parish think about that front line people that be able to deal with with the Lakers but uh even that year when he was not the in his prime he was still a very effective All-Star caliber player just shows you how great he was even though he was diminished by injuries but playing against him jump hooks turnaround jump shots great defender uh great def uh Defender when it comes to communicating with his teammates could protect the basket he I was his last what H when he was Sixth Man a year and uh he’s he’s just had it all as a player uh Michael Thompson joining us we’re remembering Bill Walton and Michael why do you think this I was I was with James Worthy when we found out we were golfing and it hit us both really hard and I think the reason I was so emotionally affected by it was there’s really nobody else like him right he was kind of like one of one wasn’t he if you were in a bad mood and all a sudden you ran into Bill Walton you were gonna stop being in a bad mood yeah he was just so nice so positive all the time oh he cared about you he would ask how you’re doing how your family’s doing uh I I would would say the three nicest people in sports I’ve ever met who would just couldn’t be more gracious and nice to you and more welcoming to you are Pal Gasol Magic Johnson and Bill waltter those three guys yeah and it wasn’t an act like that’s that’s the thing that that made it work that the the reason why he was so beloved is that this is he wasn’t just doing it for the cameras or to be funny like this really is who he was yeah all the time and I tell you one thing I’ll tell you one thing it means so much to him uh to to my son clay because I told clay what Bill told me Bill told me hey Michael I really love and respect klay’s game I think he’s a great player I told that to Klay and Clay was beaming he he was so proud to get that kind of compliment from a legend like Bill all right so speaking of clay you and a bill we welcome to the program my buddy James Worthy the Laker Hall of Famer James and I were together when we got the news we played golf together a lot and we were together when we got the news that Bill had passed away and big game let me start with this why do you think it affected us as hard as it did like I don’t think either of us would say we were best friends with Bill but we knew him we liked him a lot why do you think it hit us that hard well when you know someone uh in your life that’s not even similar or even close to being like anybody else is like he’s one of a kind yeah it you know and that’s that’s number one and the effect that he has on people uh he was a giant angel and he was all about love and peace and happiness and your wellbeing uh he touched me in a way John I met him my rookie year in Alaska anchoring Alaska the Clippers were playing the the the Lakers in a in an exhibition game and I I came down early for breakfast it was like 7 o’clock and Bill was down there he invited me to his table and we didn’t talk about basketball we talked about Dean Smith and John Wooden he was just so unique and loving and when you were around him he gave you so much like if you were down or if you were up he just gave you so much life he had so much life in him that he just shared it with everybody and uh I I love Bill won I love Lori we spent some time together doing crazy stuff and a Kimble Show and The Price is Right and just just talking to him was a treat man he had so many interesting conversations about different topics that would uplift you I remember being really down and you know everybody knows I you I had a tough time in the early 90s and the first time I saw Bill he he said you know I had had that incident in Houston and the first thing he said to me you showed up and you played the game for your teammates that’s character that’s what real man do you know and I you know it’s just something I I needed to hear at the time he was just a a special guy Miss he James um what do you you know when I saw Bill he he would never show you that he was in pain he would never show you what was going on with him personally like I didn’t know he was sick I didn’t know he had cancer um I know his back always hurt and it was hard for him to move and get around and stuff but how do you how do you take a guy who has got that much going on physically in terms of pain uh but has this positive demeanor and this Relentless enthusiasm how do how do those two things go together it’s hard to explain uh because I remember not so long ago he was in really really deep depression about you know pain and where he was in life and he overcame that you know you see Bill com into a building he’s carrying his own chair you know he had his own chair he would carry around with him and sit you know nothing could get him down like nothing could get him down whatever he had his happiness and his his joy for life and waking up you know he was the one that gave me one of my favorite quotes he said James when I wake up in the morning everything else is a bonus after that if I’m in pain and I’m waking up it’s a bonus if I’m you know if I if I’m not happy and I need to deal with some things I woke up and it’s a bonus and he he used that bonus like he really believed that it was a bonus and and that’s the way he lived you know he just lived that way with everybody you know you know you you wouldn’t expect to be getting a a audio and video on your birthday from Bill Walton you know you just don’t you don’t expect that I mean we we didn’t play together we didn’t grow up together but I watched him when he was at UCLA and I remember John Wooden quoting one time that Bill W was the best Center he ever coached and I say hold up there coach hold up now there’s another one but yeah people forget just how great Bill Walton was as a player and I think his personality and his post career it’s bigger than his career was and his career was second to none as far as colleged and what he did in Portland and Boston yeah throughout all the injuries his his life capacity and what he gave people more away from the court than he did on the court James Worthy the Hall of Famer is our guest big game last thing for you you mentioned it I think a lot of people James has daughters and and they’re obviously much younger than him I think a lot of people only know Bill as an anouncer they never saw Bill Walton the player you did I know by the time you got into the league injuries had ravages career but in 86 when the Celtics won that title and he got six Man of the Year it’s it’s like he got all of his energy back and he got healthy for one year what was Walton the player like yeah I hate we missed that year man that that would have been a great they were really good he he had you know gotten as healthy as he could and really just showed uh who he really was he was dominant Unstoppable uh he had the little 15-footer you know he blocked shots he ran the floor he had this this play he called in Portland where he put his hands over his head and he it was like a bicycle motion and I just remember him in Portland with with Maurice Lucas and you know Jack Ramsey was coaching he was Unstoppable I told you I couldn’t believe it when John Wooden said that he was the best center I said I didn’t I didn’t agree with that but I said I I’ll give you a tie but that’s just how good he was in college and unfortunately you know he got some injuries early on but I don’t I don’t know if there’s a center today you know Keem alijan with his footwork you know was pretty good but I don’t know if there’s a center that could keep up with Bill W he was that dominant he was so good John yeah great passer soft touch inside just sprinted the floor and a lot of energy I’m gonna miss this guy man yeah me too me too well hey thank you for doing this I I know you’re getting a lot of requests so we we appreciate you answering the phone for us and uh got it yeah all right man talk soon there’s a there’s James Worthy um as we kind of celebrate the life of Bill Walton all right there’s a big