Sportscaster Jim Gray opens up about Bill Walton's death in an email to Fox News Digital, calling the late Hall of Famer his 'best friend' and himself the 'luckiest man in the world.'
The sports world lost an icon on Monday as basketball Hall of Famer-turned-analyst Bill Walton died of cancer at age 71. Walton was loved by many, especially former colleague Jim Gray, who worked with Walton for several networks, and the two shared a friendship for 40 years. 'My heart is broken. Bill Walton was the best friend a guy could ever have,' Gray sent in an email to Fox News Digital. 'He was loving, generous, kind, caring, intelligent, and so much fun.
For 40 years, every time we were together, we would laugh,' he wrote. 'He was a library of knowledge and a fountain of wisdom. Broadcasting games together at CBS, NBC, ESPN, ABC, Westwood One, and the Kings was a strange and wonderful journey. I’m grateful for all the years with Bill. It was the blessing of a lifetime. He will be in my heart forever.' 'May God rest his soul and bless Lori, Adam, Chris, Nate, and Luke.
My life was not worth living. I was going to kill myself. If I had a gun, I would have used it,' Walton said. 'But Jim called every single day, said, ‘Bill, don’t give up, you can make it …' He did everything he could to make sure I still had a chance.' Walton won three straight national player of the year awards from 1972 to 1974 before becoming the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Chris Walton , Nate Walton and Adam Walton all played college basketball as well. Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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