He has five sons from his two marriages, and in 2012 rejoined the team at ESPN

Walton retired from the NBA in 1990 after sitting out multiple seasons because of these injuries and began working as a

Bill Walton is opening up about being fired from ESPN in a new interview.

The legendary basketball player, who began working as a commentator shortly after retiring from the NBA in 1990, says that being let out of his contract early by the network in 2009 was so difficult he began to contemplate taking his own life.

'When I was lying on that floor - and I had nothing - I was going to kill myself if I had a gun,' Walton said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

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Difficult: Bill Walton (above) says in a new interview that he considered killing himself after being fired as a commentator by ESPN in 2009

Strong: Walton suffered major injuries to his back and ankles over the course of his college career which led to problems when he started in the NBA (above playing for the Portland Blazers in the 70s)

Walton writes at the start of his new memoir, Back From the Dead; 'I can’t do this anymore. It’s just too hard. It hurts too much. Why should I continue? What’s the point in going on?

'I have been down so long now, I have no idea which way anywhere is anymore. There’s no reason to believe tomorrow is going to be any better.

'If I had a gun I would use it.'

At the time Walton was let go by ESPN he was suffering from back problems, which began decades earlier while he was playing college basketball at UCLA and plagued him throughout his life.

He eventually underwent major surgery, and returned to the broadcast booth a year later as a part-time commentator for the Sacramento Kings.

Then, in 2012, he rejoined the team at ESPN.

Walton was considered one of the greatest players in the world even before he turned pro, with the 6'11" center being selected as College Player of the Year three years in a row and leading the UCLA Bruins to two NCAA championships.

During his four years with the Bruins, the team lost just four games and also went on an unprecedented 88-game winning streak, which began just before Walton joined the team.

He was also awarded with the James E. Sullivan Award in 1973, given to the best amateur athlete in the United States.

Walton's issues with his back also began while he was at UCLA, and would become a major issue over the course of his NBA career.

He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the number one pick in the 1974 draft, but missed large parts of his first two seasons due to various injuries.

In his third season however he was healthy and managed to help lead to team to the NBA Finals, which they won over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Walton was named the Finals MVP and the next year was named the league MVP despite once again suffering multiple injuries that kept him off the court for parts of the season.

Legends: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Rick Barry, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson and Bill Walton at the 2012 Hall of Fame Cermony

He then sat out the following season to protest the team's poor treatment of his injuries and refusal to trade him.

Walton would later play for the San Diego Clippers and Boston Celtics, winning another NBA Championship with the Celtics in 1986 - but was then forced to sit out most of the next season because of yet more injuries.

After his back and ankles continued to cause him trouble Walton retired from the sport in 1990 and began working for NBC.

He has said in the past that those injuries also led him to consider suicide over the years.

Walton, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, lives with his second wife Lori in San Diego and has five sons.