Bill Walton, aka The Big Red Head of basketball, bid farewell to the world yesterday after a hard-fought battle against cancer. His demise has been the talk of the town, with several retired superstars sharing a few words about his greatness, both on and off the court. Now, the much-awaited tribute from Inside the NBA has come out and it involves Shaquille O’Neal honoring Bill Walton, by highlighting the ups and downs of their relationship. 

Shaquille O’Neal holds a high respect for a few NBA centers who have inspired him and have been dominant throughout their career. This is famously known as Shaq’s Big Man Alliance list and Bill Walton was indeed on top of it. 

The Los Angeles Lakers legend shared on TNT, “Yes we definitely lost one of the four fathers of the ‘Big Man Alliance’. Kareem, Wilt, the great Bill Walton, and the great Bill Russell. Bill [Walton] and I had up and down relationships, not gonna lie…It was up and down because I was sensitive. When I called, you know, all the things that I’m doing to the big man now…Bill and all those guys were doing it to me…I had to learn how to listen to what these legends say.”

Shaq continued, “I’m definitely gonna miss him. He was hard on me, and I’m glad he was hard on me ’cause you know, me, growing up the way I was raised, I am not soft. It just made me who I am today, so thank you for helping form the ‘Big Man Alliance‘.” 

Bill Walton spent a week working with Shaq when he was in LSU, growing as a prospect for the next great center. “This guy may have the physical talent and personal discipline to be the best,” he had said according to SI archives. Further along, the two also met disagreements, nursing a long-standing beef.  Despite all, the respect remained and Shaq couldn’t present it better.

What did Charles Barkley and another special guest on TNT share about Bill Walton?

Charles Barkley recalled his moment from the NCAA when he played for the Auburn Tigers. The Sixers legend said, “One of my prized possessions is at the Final Four one year. Man, I’m standing by Kareem and Bill Walton and I said, ‘Somebody gotta get me this picture‘. I sent it to Kareem, I sent it to Bill. They both signed it. ” So for Barkley, Walton will continue to live through this signed photograph.

Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller joined the show today, where he shared something common he had with Walton. “Post career our relationship really bonded and went further because of our love for two wheels of cycling. He was a huge cyclist, lot of races together. We used to talk about equipment”, said Miller.  

The above words from the Hall of Famers tell us how influential the Big Red Head was. It’s a huge loss for the NBA world, considering the smile he brought to the faces of the people around him. TNT made sure they gave Walton the perfect tribute by sharing stories of their own. 

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.