Tennessee Volunteers mourn Bill Walton's death with throwback pic of Rick Barnes & basketball legend

Hall of Famer Bill Walton died on Monday after a long battle with cancer. He was 71. As tributes poured in for him, the Tennessee Volunteers joined in. The team on Monday posted an image of Bill Walton with Volunteers coach Rick Barnes on a cycling trip.

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"RIP Bill Walton 🙏 a true legend," the caption read.

Walton had shared a picture of the two in November in which he called Barnes one of his "all time heroes."

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The UCLA Bruins also mourned the loss of their icon, with coach Mick Cronin saying in a statement:

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"On behalf of everyone with the UCLA men's basketball program, we are deeply saddened to learn of Bill Walton's passing. My deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones. It's very hard to put into words what he has meant to UCLA's program, as well as his tremendous impact on college basketball.

"Beyond his remarkable accomplishments as a player, it's his relentless energy, enthusiasm for the game and unwavering candor that have been the hallmarks of his larger than life personality. As a passionate UCLA alumnus and broadcaster, he loved being around our players, hearing their stories, and sharing his wisdom and advice."

Bill Walton played for the Bruins from 1971 to 1974, leading the team to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973 and an 88-game winning streak.

After Kareem Abdul-Jabbar graduated in 1969, Walton became the program's next star center. He was one of the first players to be inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Bill Walton's jersey No. 32 was retired by UCLA during a game against DePaul on Feb. 3, 1990. He was drafted No. 1 by the Portland Trailblazers in 1974.

How Bill Walton overcame a severe stutter to become an Emmy-winning sports broadcaster

After 10 NBA seasons, winning two rings, Bill Walton's career ended due to chronic foot injuries. Despite this, his love for the game remained, so he chose to pursue a career as a commentator.

That career path came after Walton overcame severe stuttering that had hampered him most of his early life.

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"In life, being so self-conscious, red hair, big nose, freckles and goofy, nerdy-looking face and can't talk at all. I was incredibly shy and never said a word," Walton told radio host John Canzano in 2017. (via BBC) "Then, when I was 28, I learned how to speak. It's become my greatest accomplishment of my life and everybody else's biggest nightmare."

Walton began his sports broadcasting career in 1990 as an analyst for the Prime Ticket Network, and he worked for CBS Sports in the early 1990s. He later moved to NBC, where he covered the 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney) Olympic Games. Walton joined ESPN and ABC as an NBA analyst in 2002.

Bill Walton earned an Emmy Award for his work in 1991.

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