Missing the Joy Bill Would Always Bring

by Ernie McCray

Bill Walton.
The Big Redhead.
Dear friend.
Gone.

And I will miss him immensely
for the sheer joy
he brought to my life,
beginning when I first saw him
on a basketball court
in high school,
never having seen
such dominance
in a basketball game,
as he ruled the paint
on each end of the floor
like a king reigning
over a monarchy,
blocking shots and
snatching rebounds as though the ball
was his, alone, to touch or grab,
initiating sudden fast breaks
with passes that were right on the beam,
driving defenders insane,
it seemed,
with an array of jump shots
and drives
and hook shots
and tip-ins
and assists
and setting screens
and playing off screens.

Oh, it was some kind of scene
Then Bill put took his routine
to UCLA and to the NBA,
becoming one of the game’s
all-time greats.

And, although, I’ve so enjoyed
what he’s meant to the sports world,
it’s his humanity
that has brought me the most delight,
his take on life,
perspectives he shared freely as a commentator
on TV,
to some viewer’s dislike
like when he’d freestyle a story
that distracted from a great play
that’s maybe unfolding before their very eyes
and I’ve felt the same way at times –
but I practically all the time
appreciated what was on his mind,
the way he tied basketball to the real world
with deep thoughts that touched on
hope and peace and love
and teamwork and creativity
and imagination,
reflections that stemmed from his desire,
as an extraordinary social and political activist,
to create a better society.

Not to mention that it has warmed my heart
when every now and then he mentioned me
on national TV
or highlighted scenes,
when he covered
a Wildcat game in Tucson,
my beloved hometown,
that captured my instant undivided attention
because they mean so much to me:
sahuaros standing tall,
so resilient and adaptable;
the Catalina Mountains
with its rugged hiking trails
and pine trees
and skiing facilities,
a contributor to the pools and streams
of Sabino Canyon,
a source for much of my spirituality
and sense of beauty.

I will forever miss this beautiful
loving and caring
joyful human being.

RIP, my friend.