During the 1960s, the Los Angeles Lakers had very good teams centered around Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, two of the absolute legends in the history of the game.
They reached the NBA Finals six times that decade, but one man always stood in the way of them winning the world championship: Bill Russell.
His shot-blocking, rebounding, leadership and competitive ferocity prevented West and Baylor from ever defeating his Boston Celtics when rings were at stake.
Russell passed away in July, and the entire league has been paying tribute to him since. That includes the Lakers, the team that suffered much more unhappiness and anguish because of him than any other.
During Tuesday’s contest against the Celtics, the team played a moving video tribute to the late Hall of Fame center.
#Lakers paid tribute to Bill Russell in between quarters. pic.twitter.com/NzPc67cWZz
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) December 14, 2022
It was a classy move for a classy man by a classy organization.
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