Bill Raftery Fans Can't Help But Wonder — Why Does He Say "Onions" All the Time?

Basketball analyst Bill Raftery has a unique catchphrase, and fans can't quite figure out why he says it. The former college basketball coach drops the word "onions" throughout his commentary, and the word is seemingly random. However, Bill insists there's a reason behind it, and "onions" does have plenty of meaning.

Bill's career started as a college basketball coach before he went on to a broadcasting career. The sports analyst has explained that he knew he wouldn't be able to continue coaching forever, and broadcasting was a way to stay within the world of sports as he gets older. His strategy worked, as Bill and his catchphrase became a basketball staple. In fact, his shouting "onions" dates all the way back to the 1990s.

It turns out that "onions" does have a meaning, and it refers to "balls" — and, no, we don't mean basketballs. Bill says "onions" when commending a player's boldness. According to USA Today, Bill has explained, "It's like a nice way of describing the toughness of a person. It could go in other directions, which some people sort of do." Fans have also described the phrase's usage as appropriate during "a clutch shot made in high-pressure moments."

Apparently, the term was coined during a Nets game. Kevin Edwards made a corner jump shot and, according to Bill, "I just blurted this thing out. A little joy and excitement from the unknown area of winning games. It sort of fit this kid, the toughness to make the shot. And that just came out." Since then, the term has evolved slightly, with Bill adding, "A little onions," or, "Onions! Double order!"

At one point, ESPN asked Bill to stop saying "onions" as they felt it was too vulgar for a family-friendly program. Bill complied, but the catchphrase was already out of his hands at that point. Various media outlets started using the term themselves, and fans absolutely loved it, so ESPN gave Bill the green light to say what he wanted.

Proud of the trend he started, Bill actually attempted to get "onions" trademarked back in 2014. While one can't completely trademark such a common word, he was successful in getting the term trademarked in relation to sports, particularly within sports broadcasts and apparel items. At the same time, Bill also trademarked his other catchphrase, "with a kiss," which is used when a player makes a shot by banking it off the backboard.

Fans simply can't get enough of Bill's beloved catchphrase, as "onions" has become a part of sports vernacular. For example, there's a clip going around social media that's basically just a compilation of Bill yelling "onions" for over three minutes!

As expected, comments contain praise such as "GOAT," "Commentators turning into main characters," and "The man's a poet." We couldn't agree more! Basketball simply wouldn't be the same without Bill's colorful commentary and, well, onions.