Bill Walton honored by Celtics before Game 1 of NBA Finals [Video]

BOSTON — Bill Walton only spent one full season with the Boston Celtics. His impact was unforgettable.

The franchise paid tribute to the sixth man on its 1986 championship team before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Walton’s family was in the crowd for a pregame moment of silence that was interrupted by a fan yelling, “We love you, Bill!”

Commissioner Adam Silver called Walton a friend whose evident love for basketball game helped spread the game around the world, including on a 2004 trip to the Great Wall of China.

“I can’t think of a better ambassador for the NBA than Bill. He enjoyed talking to every single person,” Silver said before the game. “It’s a sad moment in the league.”

The Celtics nodded to Walton’s Deadheadedness by coming out in black …