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Maui Invitational honors the late Bill Walton with a heartwarming tribute
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Maui Invitational honors the late Bill Walton with a heartwarming tribute

Bill Walton, an NBA Hall of Famer who was also a legendary college basketball announcer, died in May at the age of 71, making this year’s Maui Invitational men’s basketball tournament the first without Walton in attendance.

Walton was known for his big personality on the sidelines while he was an announcer. He famously wore tie-dye shirts and regularly wore Hawaiian shirts at the Maui Invitational. The tournament found the perfect way to honor Walton at this week’s event: two tie-dyed Hawaiian shirts were draped over an announcer’s chair with a lei and a shirt that said “Walton” on it.

ESPN even showed a heartwarming tribute video from Walton prior to the start of the Maui Invitational on Monday. It featured some of Walton’s best and funniest moments during the tournament.

Clearly, the Maui Invitational and all of college basketball are not the same without Walton’s voice announcing the games.