Bill Walton is known for two things: walking the walk on the basketball court as an NBA legend, and talking the talk on the microphone as a sportscaster. ESPN invited Walton over to the ESPN Voices set - along with Keyshawn Johnson, Rachel Nichols and more - for ESPNU's portion of the company's gigantic megacast of Monday night's NCAA National Championship between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers. And Walton was a treat, getting all decked out in costume and...preaching about weed during commercial breaks. Check out what audiences got to see following one ad's fade-out.
I mean, if you're going to dress up like the world's tallest Uncle Sam, it's good to have a message to bring to people, and Bill Walton is giving voice to marijuana, claiming it should no longer receive Schedule I classification. It's not exactly a viewpoint exclusive to Walton, and perhaps it isn't a message that everyone is interested in agreeing with, but I'm not sure that others' opinions, contrasting or agreeable, have ever been something that Bill Walton worried about. There are few perspectives that he can't just step over anyway, possibly while puffing on a spliff as big around as LeBron James' calf.
And guess what? He didn't put the brakes on his speech when it became clear the coverage was back to a live feed. You can't stop a ranting locomotive, but you can check out the rest of Walton's green-leaf appeal below, which earned him some on-set cheers.
Bill Walton also called for President Obama to (apparently use his final days as POTUS to) grant amnesty to anyone who has been in legal trouble for weed in the past. He wants the future to be full of greener pastures! Hail to the chief!
It was a wowzers performance from Bill Walton during the entire telecast, although it was hard to draw attention away from the college football game itself. Alabama led most of the game until Clemson made a late rally, and the last few minutes of the game saw multiple lead changes, with the Tigers coming out on top in the final seconds. A stunning performance from two of the nation's best teams, and I'm sure Walton had a good tip for stressed viewers to find instant relaxation.
Head to our midseason premiere schedule to see all the shows that will be coming to the small screen in the coming months. Maybe Netflix will put its weed comedy Disjointed out soon.
