My son sent an email to Bill Walton the announcer when he was about seven years old telling how much he admired him. Bill invited us to come see him at the ESPN zone for a meet and greet when he was in town. When we got there, Bill invited my son down to the stage and had his arm around him during the entire meet and greet. Afterward, he came and had lunch with us. I remember being dumbfounded and tongue tied and probably said nothing intelligent the whole time. But Bill could not have been more gracious or nicer to my son. I know a lot of people on here probably didn’t like his announcing style or his politics. But he was a guy who loved people, and his joy for life was truly boundless. I have tears in my eyes as I write this. Oh, and he was one of the top five college basketball players of all time. And may have been one of the top five pros if he could’ve avoided injuries. But Walton the player could never hold a candle to Walton the person.