To the Boston Celtics and much of the world, Hall of Fame Boston big man Bill Russell is the greatest champion of all time in the sport of basketball. He revolutionized the game with his verticality, defense and cerebrality while being at the forefront of the U.S. civil rights movement was, as the Celtics themselves put it, unthinkable before Russell.
“Bill was a champion unlike any other in the history of team sports — an 11-time NBA champion, including winning eight consecutive titles, a five-time MVP, an Olympic gold medalist, and the NBA’s first Black head coach,” wrote the team in a memorial video it shared on the team’s official YouTube channel.
As an inseparable part of the Celtics organization and the NBA more generally, Russell was a living, breathing embodiment of what we all ought to aspire whether in sport or life beyond it.
“Our thoughts are with his family as we mourn his passing and celebrate his enormous legacy in basketball, Boston and beyond,” writes the Celtics organization, and we here at the Celtics Wire could not concur more.
Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
[mm-video type=video id=01g9cx4c488mznbghpd5 playlist_id=01eqbzegwgnrje4tv2 player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g9cx4c488mznbghpd5/01g9cx4c488mznbghpd5-b3edbb12019594c2c8b4b5c4aacc7fb3.jpg]
[lawrence-related id=106376,106372,106374,106370,106366,106223]
[listicle id=106355]
[listicle id=106331]
[listicle id=106300]
[listicle id=106293]