For the past couple of weeks the legendary player and broadcaster Bill Walton has made his official return to television with a wacky, yet insightful broadcast stream called “Throw it Down with Bill Walton”, exclusively on NBA League Pass via the new NBA App.
On Monday January 23rd, Walton kicked off the debut episode of ‘Throw It Down’ with an enthusiastic countdown, then raised his arms to the sky and shouted, “It’s time to throw it down! Here we go!” The first telecast was featured for that night’s San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers game, as it will be transmitted every Monday.
Watch Walton’s first moments on air on January 23rd just seconds before the match started:
Throw It Down with Bill Walton, a best of thread pic.twitter.com/CUAqmyFxFQ
— Brett Clapper (@baclap) January 24, 2023
Walton isn’t just any broadcaster, he’s a two-time NBA champion, NBA MVP, Sixth Man of the Year, Finals MVP and acclaimed Emmy Award-winning entertainer. His mission is to call the action to throw it down every week for a series of NBA League Pass matches, as he invites special guests of today’s game as he reminices on his ashtonishing career. Yep, that’s pretty much it!
The show will feature guest stars from diverse sections of entertainment, all the way from athletes to musicians. The first guests were NBA legend Julius Erving and Nike co-founder Phil Knight. “Throw it Down with Bill Walton” will also be co-anchored by friend and sportscaster Jason Benetti, just to balance it out with a little “serious” journalism. Wink wink.
In his own words, Walton describes the program and his immense gratitude towards this opportunity. “This incredible dream is the thrill, honor and privilege of a lifetime. Wow, and on the NBA’s global and intergalactic platform too!” said the former NBA champion. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Please help me throw it down as this volcanic eruption celebrates the best of life, nature, sport, the NBA and everything else. We promise to blast through the real, imaginary and self-imposed limits of the known universe and beyond. Won’t you come with me. Hold on if you can. Hold on if you dare. THROW IT DOWN, exclusively on the NBA App, where dreams become reality, where we come to grow and where the deal goes down.”
This past Monday January 30th, he released his second broadcast with none other than former NBA player Charles Barkley and musician John Mayer as guests, who literally stepped into his space (his own home) as they visited “Throw It Down”.
Here are some highlights as John Mayer insists on how Walton has been like a coach to him before performing on stage:
John Mayer says Bill Walton has been like a coach to him over the course of his career ♥️
Watch him on #NBAThrowItDown live now on the NBA App.
📲 https://t.co/UQItjT97bj pic.twitter.com/k6Wv3gEj0h
— NBA (@NBA) January 31, 2023
“Throw it Down with Bill Walton” joins a diverse list of alternative game telecasts featured exclusively on the NBA App. For example, “NBA HooperVision” share unique insights on the game with a pop culture crossover including NBA former players and hosts like Quentin Richardson, Nate Robinson and Dorell Wright. Another program is “NBA Strategy Stream”, where fans can get deep analytics by experts Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux.
These are the schedules for Bill Walton’s next programs on the NBA League Pass:
Monday, Feb. 6 | Cleveland | Washington | 7 p.m. ET |
Monday, Feb. 27 | Boston | New York | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Monday, March 6 | Boston | Cleveland | 7 p.m. ET |
We did not want to pass the opportunity of enjoying Bill while we still have him around, as it doesn’t get more entertaining to watch basketball than this.