Sports
Letters to Sports: Bill Walton was one of the greatest human beings
Bill Walton was a life force like no other. He happened to also be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but that was secondary to being one of the greatest human beings of all time.
Living in Los Angeles my whole life, I have been surrounded by some of the most famous people in the world, and in all my time here, I have never seen so accomplished a person be so generous of spirit, so giving of his time, so genuinely interested in being kind to everyone he met.
Having attended scores of UCLA basketball games, I have personally witnessed Bill staying for hours after every game to make sure every autograph, every photo and every interaction with every fan was given his full attention.
How ironic then that his favorite band was “The Grateful Dead,” when it was so obvious that he was always so grateful to be alive.
William David Stone
Beverly Hills
::
I’ve been watching basketball for more than 50 years and without a doubt Bill Walton played the game with more enthusiasm than any other player I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t too crazy about Bill’s broadcasting style, but Bill was the best NCAA player I’ve ever seen, with Lew Alcindor, who became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, coming in a close second. Like Bill’s UCLA teammate, Greg Lee, Bill left us way too soon.
Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood
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Whether arguing with John Wooden about his long hair, marching in Vietnam anti-war protests, or extolling the virtues of the Pac-12 as the ‘Conference of Champions,’ the gregarious Bill Walton was so much more than a legendary basketball player. Now the big redhead moves upstairs and shares his love for UCLA and the Grateful Dead while challenging anyone who dares test his knowledge of almost any topic imaginable to a game of Trivial Pursuit. Rest easy, big guy. You will be missed.
Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates
::
For four days straight, six years in a row, I was fortunate to enjoy Bill Walton’s company during Byron Scott’s Adult Fantasy Basketball Camp. Bill was always hilarious, kind, enthusiastic, and generous. During two camps he opened his house to campers, which was like a shrine to basketball and the Grateful Dead.
That Walton’s NBA dominance lasted only a few seasons due to injuries does not diminish his greatness or the skill with which he played. He was thrilling to watch. That Bill overcame stuttering to become an insightful and entertaining broadcaster is a testament to his work ethic and perseverance.
I am saddened to hear of his passing, but he’ll live on with all who saw him play or heard his broadcasts.
Ray McKown
Torrance
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In the 50 years since Bill Walton graduated UCLA, a lot has changed in college sports. Bill was a highly recruited high school player that picked UCLA because it was his lifelong dream to play for the Bruins and Coach Wooden. Another school couldn’t wave millions of dollars of NIL money to sway his decision (yes there was Sam Gilbert in the background taking care of the UCLA players). He was not allowed to play on the varsity team as a freshman. Today Bill would be a “one and done” player and not have his retired uniform hanging in Pauley. Now the great ones leave after one year, so will there ever be another player to have his uniform retired and hung in Pauley?
Charles Yacoobian
Valencia
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Bill Walton became known as a broadcaster for his famously unhinged chaotic ramblings (which simultaneously could have everything to do with basketball, and absolutely nothing at all). His games were appointment viewing as a loud and unapologetic shill for the “Conference of Champions,” so, while saddened by his untimely passing, it seems only right that he will never know a world without the Pac-12.
Steve Ross
Carmel
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I had the amazingly good fortune to grow up in the era of the UCLA basketball dynasty. Lew Alcindor, Sidney Wicks, Curtis Rowe, Jamaal Wilkes, Gail Goodrich, Marques Johnson, and my favorite player, Bill Walton, the best center I have ever seen.
I had the incredibly good fortune to grow up listening to the likes of Vin Scully, Dick Enberg, Chick Hearn and other legendary announcers. But perhaps my favorite broadcaster of all was that same Bill Walton. He was obnoxious, loud, audacious, outrageous, and talk about hyperbole! But you couldn’t help but love him. You loved his banter; you loved his sarcasm; you loved his enthusiasm … and you loved his undying, genuine and infectious love of the game.
I miss Scully. I miss Hearn. And I already miss Walton — the All-American and All-Pro basketball player, announcer, and human being.
Steve Kaye
Oro Valley, Ariz.
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Losing the “Grateful Red,” who I watched on tape delay on KTLA on so many lonely L.A. nights, was a shock to all of us who admired Bill Walton. I saw Bill play on multiple occasions, but my memories today are of seeing him happily riding his bike through Westwood Village, adjacent to UCLA.
I can only imagine Coach Wooden greeting Bill at the Pearly Gates, welcoming him in, but insisting on a haircut and a shave first.
Mike Anderson
Sherman Oaks
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Don’t worry, after two weeks in heaven a frazzled God will return Bill Walton to his courtside post, where he will continue to ignore games and share his vision of the universe.
Mario Valvo
Ventura
The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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