RS Hall of Fame: Bill Walton on Jerry Sloan

Some videos are so good, they get beyond the 'hey, I should show my friends this clip once' level. Some are meant to be enjoyed again and again, and shared throughout the world. That is what the Redshirt Freshmen Hall of Fame is all about. Occasionally we will bring you these videos, add some commentary, and your life will instantly become better of because of it. Trust us.

With that, we present our charter member to the RS HOF: Bill Walton discussing the retirement of former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. Enjoy.

0:01 "Jerry Sloan is absolutely the greatest."

I don't really know if he's talking about the greatest person (which Jerry Sloan is probably not) or the greatest basketball coach (which Jerry Sloan is probably not). Off to a good start.

0:04 "The world of basketball... forget that."

We can't do that, Bill. The world of basketball is the only way in which we actually know Jerry Sloan.

0:20 "Jerry Sloan, we have let you down."

Let him down?!? BUT I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!!

0:30 "You're the greatest of champions Jerry."

... in a 'never actually won an NBA Championship' kind of way.

0:38 "You make us lucky."

This is the first instance of Walton's know-it-all/ I'm-really-on-to-something-here smile. You'll be seeing plenty of the smile throughout the interview. Check it:

0:40 "Thanks for the gift of life. Thanks for the gift of light."

... uh, is Jerry Sloan actually God?

0:55 "... because what you gave us..."

Take a deep breath, Bill. Shit's about to get deep.

1:10 "So fierce..."

That great smile again:

1:15 "For those of us, Jerry, who witnessed your incredible life..."

I'm honestly starting to think Bill Walton thinks Jerry Sloan is dead.

1:43 "We all need to stand by Jerry Sloan."

I don't even know what that means.

1:58 "... the one who stands for truth and justice..."

I get it! Jerry Sloan is like Batman!

2:00 "... who suffers no fools or nonsense..."

Great phrase + great smile = great sentence.

2:19 "... something is wrong with the world."

Another classic Walton smile (note: you should never actually smile after saying 'something is wrong with the world'):

2:35 "I was never so surprised in everything that I've experienced in my life that Jerry Sloan would finally say 'I've had enough'."

That has to be an over-exaggeration. It just has to be.

2:46 "That's truly the sadness of this story."

Actually, Bill, Jerry Sloan retiring isn't the sadness of the story. It's the entirety of the story.

3:08-3:12 [Pause]

Is Bill actually thinking about what he's going to say next? Where was that in the first 3 minutes of the interview?

3:35 "You'll never learn what you don't want to know."

A quick Google search verified that this is in fact an original Bill Walton quote. Way to rap it up with a deep, original head-scratcher Bill. You truly are the man.