UCLA will honor the late Bill Walton when the Bruins face Ohio State at 3:45 p.m. ET Sunday in a game nationally televised on CBS. Walton died last May at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Fans attending the game will receive a commemorative poster “that celebrates Walton’s life and legacy,” according to UCLA. Students attending the game will receive a custom tie-dyed T-shirt “to celebrate Walton’s larger-than-life personality.”
The three-time Naismith Award winner and a two-time national champion is considered one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time and was part of some of the best teams in college basketball history. Walton helped UCLA capture national championships in 1972 and 1973 and was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in both tournaments.
In the 1973 title game against Memphis State, Walton scored 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting to give the Bruins their seventh consecutive national title. His 44 points in the title game remain an NCAA record.
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Walton played for the Bruins before freshmen could compete on the varsity team. Walton played on UCLA’s freshman team during the 1970-71 season before becoming a three-year starter for legendary coach John Wooden. Walton averaged 20.3 points and 15.7 rebounds during his career on the varsity squad.
During Walton’s playing career, he helped guide the program to an 86-4 mark. UCLA had back-to-back 30-0 seasons in 1972 and 1973 and capped an unprecedented seventh consecutive national title.
Walton’s teams at UCLA won its first 73 games and the Bruins went 49-0 inside Pauley Pavilion as part of a 98-game home winning streak that started during the 1970-71 campaign.
UCLA is the only program in men’s college basketball history to win three or more consecutive titles and the only program to accomplish the feat twice. Oklahoma State, Kentucky, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, and most recently, UConn are the only other teams that have repeated as champions.
Walton was later inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Walton and former UCLA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly known as Lew Alcindor) became the first two UCLA men’s basketball players to have their jersey numbers retired in 1990.
After his playing career, Walton became a fixture on college basketball broadcasts by serving as a color commentator at CBS, NBC and ABC/ESPN. While Walton was known for witty humor on Pac-12 basketball broadcasts, he helped call NBA games for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings.
Walton became a fan favorite because of his broadcasting style. He is best known for calling Pac-12 basketball games, but he also assisted with coverage of the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000 and joined ESPN and ABC as an NBA analyst in 2002.
Where to watch UCLA vs. Ohio State live
Date: Sunday, Feb. 23 | Time: 3:45 p.m. ET
Location: Pauley Pavilion — Los Angeles
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime (Try It Free)
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