Hiestand: Bill Walton talks about his return to ESPN
In a move to be formally announced Monday, Walton will rejoin ESPN/ABC, where he had been the lead NBA analyst before he collapsed in an airport in 2007.
"My spine failed after a lifetime of spine problems," Walton told USA TODAY Sports by phone Sunday. "My life was over. I spent three years on the floor."
He couldn't move much and says he sometimes was suicidal. But this season he'll call ESPN Pac-12 basketball games as ESPN expands its coverage of the league through a new deal. Walton also will join the conference's soon-to-launch regional network and will return for occasional Sacramento Kings local broadcasts.