UCLA players wore tie-dye shirts in pre-game warmups with the last name "Walton" on the back. Fans inside Pauley Pavilion roamed the concourse donning tie-dye apparel that paid tribute to Walton's favorite band, the Grateful Dead. UCLA students wore blue tie-dye shirts in the student section to "celebrate Walton's larger-than-life personality."

LOS ANGELES — Between celebrating Bill Walton’s memory and the potential for UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin to earn his 500th career win, anticipation was high. Both lifetime moments were executed, as UCLA honored the late Walton with video tributes and a halftime ceremony; and Cronin earned his 500th victory. But it wasn’t easy.

One UCLA legend paid homage to another on Sunday as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke on the impact of Bill Walton. A former Bruins and NBA player and then later a broadcaster for ESPN and the Pac-12 Network,

Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins honored the late legend Bill Walton with a solid 69-61 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday. The win over the Buckeyes marked the 500th win of Cronin’s career. He’s been coaching the Bruins since 2019,

On a day spent celebrating Bill Walton, UCLA defeats Ohio State to enable coach Mick Cronin to notch his 500th victory

This post was updated Feb. 24 at 12:02 a.m. One arena. Two ceremonious celebrations. Pauley Pavilion played host to history twice in the span of two hours.

Eric Dailey Jr. scored 20 points to lead UCLA to a 69-61 victory over Ohio State on Sunday in Los Angeles to give coach Mick Cronin his 500th career win.