Dead And Company Paid Tribute To Bill Walton During Their Show At The Sphere And It Was Flat Out Awesome

I don't know how else to explain it, it's just awesome. That also sums up Bill Walton. It's truly one of the first and only celebrity deaths that impacted my life. It's one that hit me because Walton has been 'in' my life basically since I was born in 1987. He's always been on TV and in basketball. Whether it was watching the NBA in the 90s or college basketball, I could always rely on hearing Bill Walton. There was something comforting about it, the fact it was the unknown. You didn't know what you were going to hear when Walton was on the call and somehow it got lost that he was a genius when it came to the actual game. He just didn't want to spend a couple hours breaking it all down. If Pasch asked him about something, he was 3 steps ahead and spoke in a way that basketball diehards understood. Then he'd get back to eating a cupcake while the candle was still lit, that's what made Walton special.

We know about his love for the Grateful Dead. He was their biggest fan, quite literally. So during their show at the Sphere, they dropped this tribute. Again, I don't know how else to describe it besides awesome. It's the perfect sort of tribute to that side of Walton. The man who set Rick Carlisle up with his wife because of the Grateful Dead: 

He was at shows, he was always featured, he let his love for the band known at all times. It's part of what made him the best. No one actually cared if you yourself loved the band, but listening to Walton talk, everyone listened. That's how much he cared about his favorite band. I still can't believe we live in a world without Walton, it doesn't feel right. It's not going to feel right when I turn on a college basketball game at 9:30 on a Thursday and he's not on the call. Again, any and all Bill Walton tributes are welcomed, that's how important of a role he had for basketball fans.