Knicks Broadcasting Legend Fueled Bill Walton’s Career

A New York Knicks broadcaster offered the late Bill Walton a vital assist as he embarked on a new career.

Walton, who passed away on Monday, earned hardwood acclaim on both the collegiate and professional levels before introducing himself to a new generation of fans with his broadcasting career with CBS, NBC, ESPN, and Pac-12 Network. The UCLA alum became particularly loved among Pac-12 fans, who enjoyed his ESPN antics alongside play-by-play man Dave Pasch in what became some of the conference’s final hours.

If not for Marty Glickman, it might’ve never happened.

Walton grew up with a stutter that could’ve derailed his broadcasting career before it ever started. It was Glickman, the renowned radio voice of the Knicks and other New York sports, who helped him overcome his vocal issues. Walton documented Glickman’s help in a 2011 essay posted on the official website of The Stuttering Foundation, one that documented a series of tips that he obtained in a brief yet impactful conversation (as well as one-sided, as Walton noted he literally could not speak at the time).

“Slow your thoughts down. Think about what you are saying now, not three or four sentences ahead,” Walton recalled. “Don’t be in a hurry. You will not successfully communicate with speed, but rather with concise, analytical content.”

“Become a teacher, to anyone, anywhere, on any subject,” Walton continued. “Start with young children with a topic that you know, they won’t care about your limitations, all they care about is that you are willing to spend time with them and are trying to give them the gift of knowledge … When you stumble, stop, then start again, find your pace, your rhythm, your game.”

“Everyone makes mistakes, it’s what you do after those mistakes that will determine your ultimate success and happiness turnovers out of commission are what people are looking fo, -they mean you’re a player.”

Other tips include chewing sugarless gum, reading material aloud, and identifying the sounds that offer the most trouble (Walton said that his were “D’s, H’s, S’s, Th’s and W’s.”). Walton said that Glickman’s advice was summed up in four “laws:” demonstration, explanation, correction, and repetition.

“That’s it. For me, no magic, no medication, no gimmicks, no shortcuts, no tricks,” Walton concluded. “Just a plan, a vision, a dream … and a lot of hard work.”

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