Fans cheer Bill Walton tribute at Dead & Company show in Las Vegas

The late Bill Walton was honored this week by Dead & Company during a performance at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

The legendary basketball star, who made a name for himself in both college and the NBA before becoming a celebrated sportscaster, died Monday at the age of 71.

Walton, a La Mesa native and longtime San Diego resident, also happened to be a well-known Grateful Dead fan, hence the Dead & Company salute.

According to Rolling Stone, the band paid tribute to Walton on Thursday during “Fire on the Mountain” when a photo of him in a tie-dye Dead shirt was shown on the giant screen for which the Sphere is famous, sparking huge cheers.

This was followed by a montage of photos of Walton with band members, as a fan in the audience, and even in costume.

He once asked the band, “What could be more special than being part of the Grateful Dead? The relationship between the band and its fans and what they mean to each other – it’s a lot like being on a great basketball team for a long time. You have amazing fans who motivate you.”

Dead & Company, consisting of Mickey Hart and Bob Weir of Grateful Dead, musician John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge (bassist of the Allman Brothers) and Jeff Chimenti (keyboardist of Fare Thee Well and RatDog), started its Sphere residency “Dead Forever – Live At Sphere” on May 16th.

In a statement on Walton’s death, the band said: “Over 1,000 shows and he couldn’t get enough of them. He loved this band and we loved him.”

The Las Vegas run of Dead & Company runs through August 10.