ESPN announcer Bill Walton got choked up during his segment Walton’s World during the UCLA-Washington game on Thursday. Walton recounted the story of Huskies’ walk-on Connor Smith and was overcome by emotions. From The Big Lead:
The two were chatting before a game Walton worked earlier this season when the subject of Smith’s back surgery came up, a plight with which Walton sympathized, having undergone major back operations himself.
So Walton asked Smith for his email address and sent him an article he wrote about his own medical experiences.
“Bill Walton and I, we’re homies,” Smith said wryly. “Without this whole experience, I wouldn’t have ever been able to talk to people like that.”
Walton may not know who Richard Sherman or Andrew Luck are, but this was pretty cool.