The Basketball Hall of Fame announced Thursday it would again honor Bill Walton when Arizona and UCLA meet in Las Vegas on Nov. 2, the opening night of college basketball.
Walton, a Basketball Hall of Famer who played at UCLA and later a top ESPN basketball analyst who died in May 2024, was also honored when the Wildcats and Bruins met early last season at Los Angeles' Intuit Dome.
Before that game, teams wore Walton-inspired warmups and the UCLA band played music from Walton's favorite band, the Grateful Dead, among other tributes.
Former University of Arizona president Robert Robbins, left, and director of athletics Dave Heeke help Bill Walton unveil the school's gift to him of a custom-decorated chair before Arizona's game against Washington State at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 6, 2023. Walton uses higher-seated chairs when announcing games to back issues, so assistant A.D. for Communications Matt Ensor came up with the idea to get Walton his own chair when he comes to announce games at McKale.
The Nov. 2 game will be a rubber match of sorts for Arizona and UCLA, who are finishing up a three-game series they began in 2024-25, after both teams exited the Pac-12. UCLA beat UA 57-54 in Phoenix during the 2024-25 season, while the Wildcats won 69-65 last season in Los Angeles.
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After the TNT Sports Hall of Fame matchup on Nov. 2, the Wildcats return to McKale Center at Alkeme Arena to face Cal Poly on Nov. 5.
Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at bpascoe@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @brucepascoe
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