Bill Russell remembered as a ‘pioneer’ on and off the court

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Bill Russell, the NBA’s greatest champion as a player and its first Black coach, died Sunday at 88, leading those inside and outside the basketball community to remember his storied career, his civil rights activism, his gracious personality and his distinctive laugh.

The Boston Celtics center, who was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and a coach, won a record 11 titles in a playing career that spanned from 1956 to 1969, in addition to five MVP awards. In recognition of his dominance, the NBA named its Finals MVP award in his honor. Beyond the hardwood, Russell was a vocal proponent of civil rights, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

“Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps. Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

“I often called him basketball’s Babe Ruth for how he transcended time. Bill was the ultimate winner and consummate teammate, and his influence on the NBA will be felt forever.”

Bill Russell, basketball great who worked for civil rights, dies at 88

In a 2021 address, Obama noted how Russell’s legacy extended beyond sports, recounting the Celtics’ 1961 boycott of a game after a Kentucky coffee shop refused to serve Black players. Obama called it “an act of civil disobedience that still echoes to this day.”

“As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher — both as a player and as a person,” Obama wrote Sunday. “He was a civil rights trailblazer — marching with Dr. King and standing with Muhammad Ali. For decades, Bill endured insults and vandalism, but never let it stop him from speaking up for what’s right. I learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life.”

On the court, Russell’s 11 rings as a player — a standard that has never been approached in the modern era — earned him a special respect among the game’s greats.

Michael Jordan, who won six titles with the Chicago Bulls and is the only Black principal owner in the NBA, said Russell was a “pioneer” who “paved the way and set an example for every Black player who came into the league after him, including me.”

Los Angeles Lakers icon Magic Johnson, a five-time champion, said he was “heartbroken to hear about the passing of the greatest winner the game of basketball has ever seen, a legend, Hall of Famer, mentor and my friend for over 30 years.”

Russell’s death prompted tributes from the Celtics, who posted an image of his No. 6 under 11 shamrocks, to represent his championships as a player, and above two additional shamrocks, to represent his titles as a coach. Longtime Boston Globe writer Bob Ryan noted Russell was 21-0 in his career in “winner-take-all games,” spanning his NCAA career at the University of San Francisco, where he won two titles; the 1956 Olympics, where he won a gold medal; and with the Celtics, where he was 10-0 in Game 7s.

“Thank [you] for setting the bar, for [your] kind words of wisdom,” Celtics legend Paul Pierce wrote. “Thank [you] for that great laugh [you] had. I can go on all day about what [you] meant to me.”

Jaylen Brown, a Celtics forward who led a protest march in Atlanta after George Floyd’s murder, added: “Thank you for paving the way and inspiring so many. Today is a sad day but also a great day to celebrate his legacy and what he stood for.”

Though Russell retired as a coach in 1988, he remained a fixture at NBA events, most notably during his annual presentation of the Finals MVP trophy, and he appeared to savor his role as the league’s elder statesman. In 2017, Russell was honored with a lifetime achievement award, and he took the stage alongside fellow Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo.

Russell, leaning on a cane for support, pointed at each of the five centers in turn, before declaring, “I would kick your a–.”

Quips like that were usually accompanied by what Jack McCallum, a longtime Sports Illustrated writer, called Russell’s “famous cackle.” In a 1987 feature, McCallum wrote how Russell would “throw back his head” and “open his mouth” before unleashing his belly laugh. There was a mischievous side to the icon, who also delighted in flipping the bird at his basketball colleagues in hopes of making them laugh.

In somber moments, Russell’s gravitas had a healing quality. When Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among those killed in a helicopter crash in 2020, Russell attended a game between the Celtics and Lakers. Despite the longtime rivalry between the franchises, Russell made a point to wear Bryant’s No. 24 Lakers jersey as he sat courtside at Staples Center.

“I would do anything to honor Kobe and Gianna. I am always a Celtic. We had a deeper connection: 2+4 does = 6,” Russell explained, referencing his own jersey number. “We had much love and respect for one another!”

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Source: WP