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Debbie Allen is mourning the loss of NBA legend Bill Walton. The Grey’s Anatomy star, who is married to Walton’s former teammate Norm Nixon, took to Instagram to reflect on the basketball player’s legacy shortly after his death.

“Bill Walton, may you RIP 🙏🏼 🙏🏼🙏🏼,” she wrote alongside a throwback photo of Nixon and Walton playing together on the Clippers. She added of her husband: “Norman will always regard you as one of the best to play the game and a great teammate.”

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Walton died of colon cancer on May 27, 2024, at 71 years old. The 6’11 basketball player was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1974 draft and played for the Portland Trail Blazers, the San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics. He earned two NBA championships over the course of his career; first in 1977 for the Trail Blazers and again in 1986 for the Celtics. His time as a player was cut short due to injuries and he retired in 1988. After leaving the NBA, Walton overcame a stutter and went on to have successful second career as a basketball commentator, working for CBS, NBC, ESPN and the Clippers. In 1991, he earned an Emmy Award for Best Live Sports Television Broadcast. He was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

He and Nixon played together on the Clippers from 1983 to 1985. Nixon was traded to the team by the Los Angeles Lakers, whom he played for at the beginning of their infamous “Showtime” era. He and Allen have been married since 1984 and have three children together: Vivian, Norman Jr. and DeVaughn.

Nixon himself did not share a tribute to Walton, but several other basketball legends did. “I am sad today hearing that my comrade and one of the sports world’s most beloved champions and characters has passed,” Julius “Dr. J” Erving, a fellow Hall of Famer, wrote on Instagram. “Bill Walton enjoyed life in every way. To compete against him and to work with him was a blessing in my life.” Celtics great Larry Bird released a statement about his former teammate, which read: “I am very sorry about my good friend, Bill Walton. I love him as a friend and as a teammate. It was a thrill for me to play with my childhood idol and together we earned an NBA championship in 1986.”

The statement continued: “He is one of the greatest ever to play the game. I am sure that all of my teammates are as grateful as I am that we were able to know Bill. He was such a joy to know and he will be sorely missed. My family and I extend our sincere condolences to the Walton family.”

During the 2024 Western conference finals, Shaquille O’Neil, who also turned to broadcasting after he retired from the NBA, delivered a touching tribute to Walton. After noting that he and Walton had an “up-and-down relationship,” O’Neil said that he grew to understand the criticism the late analyst threw his way when he was a player for the Los Angeles Lakers. “A lot of times he would criticize me and I was so mad one time, I wanted to put [my] hands on him,” he explained. “But I had to listen [to] what these NBA legends say. Because if you want to be an NBA legend, shouldn’t you listen to an NBA legend? He was hard on me and I’m glad he was hard on me.”

Charles Barkley also chimed in, adding: “You’re talking about [someone who was] great at basketball, great at life, great as a broadcaster. But just a great person. I’ve never seen someone who was more joyful to be around, who was always in a good mood … The world isn’t as good of a place as it was yesterday. The world was better for having Bill Walton in it.”

Walton is survived by his wife, Lori, his sons from his first marriage, Adam, Nate, Chris and Luke, and nine grandchildren. It’s unclear if Allen and Nixon were close with the rest of Walton’s family, but several fans commented on the Fame alum’s post and offered her their condolences. 

For more on Grey’s Anatomy, check out this gallery on the cast’s salaries. 

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