UCLA shocked many this summer when it was announced that they and USC were bound for the Big Ten Conference. The move of course means they are fleeing the rest of the California schools in the Pac-12 for “greener pastures” with a heavy emphasis on green.
At the time, the move sparked a lot of comments and discourse. Reactions to the move came from all over the place, from TV personalities, jokes, and other commentaries. And now, one UCLA luminary has spoken out, though not in defense of the school.
Bruins basketball legend Bill Walton made sure to have his voice heard on the matter, and he wasn’t happy.
“I am not in favor of UCLA’s recent announced decision to leave the Pac-12 Conference of Champions,” wrote Walton in a statement published by longtime west coast reporter John Canzano. Walton continued, “nor their desire to join the Big 10, I don’t support it, I hope it does not happen.”
Walton would go on to pick apart the decision, criticizing it and believing it was not in anyone’s best interests to occur. He, much like Dick Vitale, believed the decision was all rooted in two things: Football and money.
With anything regarding Bill Walton, there’s a reaction that follows. Several others chimed in on this with varied results:
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022