You might not believe it, but the first sport I loved to play was basketball. The only summer camp I ever attended as a kid was a two week basketball camp at Long Beach State in 1997. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a co-director of the camp and I remember for the final day of camp they had a family BBQ event where Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp of the Seattle Supersonics appeared on stage.

But the memory that sticks out the most about that camp to me was our group’s picture day. Two of the biggest human beings I have ever seen to this day, one of them being Kareem and the other was Bill Walton, were walking towards our group. Being the ‘sports guy’ that I eventually became, I knew who they were, but was awestruck that these two basketball legends were going to be taking a picture with us.

Bill was very talkative and welcoming for the time that he was there, which was brief. I know I don’t have the biggest smile on my face in the photo (that’s just how I was back then), but I couldn’t believe in the moment that Bill Walton was putting his hand on my shoulder and then in an instant it was over.

As I said that memory stuck with me. Just three years later I attended the John Wooden Classic college basketball tournament at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.

While an unsuccessful attempt was made to get coach John Wooden’s autograph (who coached Bill Walton at UCLA), after the game was over, Bill Walton who was part of the announcing crew for the television broadcast had stayed to sign autographs.

Myself and a family member who was with me at the time got in the line to get his autograph. I had a program with me, otherwise it would have been the ticket instead, which would still have been fine.

As we got towards the front of the line, I decided to ask him about the basketball camp I attended a few years prior and if they were still putting together those summer camps.

When I handed him my program we exchanged pleasantries and as he signed it I asked him about the summer camp. This wasn’t his exact response, but he politely replied that they weren’t being offered anymore due to a lack of funding.

Watching and listening to him during his time analyzing basketball games was a unique experience. Growing up and being a Lakers fan, we didn’t have cable for quite some time and when those Lakers games weren’t being broadcasted over the antenna, there were plenty of Los Angeles Clippers games over the antenna with Ralph Lawler and Bill Walton.

Those Clippers teams were awful, but the broadcast was palatable with Lawler and Walton calling them. Any self-described basketball fan should watch the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about Bill Walton called, The Luckiest Guy In The World. You’ll get a sense of who he is as a man.

While it might seem that he never got the admiration of his greatness on the basketball floor due to a myriad of injuries that plagued his career. His legacy as a caring father, husband and just an all-around great person will live on forever. Rest In Peace Bill Walton and thank you for the memories.