The NBA just pulled out the biggest honor possible for one of the game’s biggest legends in Bill Russell.
News of Russell’s death a couple of weeks ago reverberated around the NBA world. Everyone pulled out their best Bill Russell stories and shared some of his brightest moments all across the internet to honor him.
Now, the NBA is doing the same thing in their own very special way.
The league has decided no one will ever wear Russell’s number 6 again. It is officially retired for every single team across the league, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Players currently wearing it will be grandfathered in, so they won’t have to change numbers. But no future players will be able to wear it.
The NBA will retire the No. 6 league-wide honoring the late, legendary player and activist Bill Russell.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 11, 2022
Players who currently wear No. 6 – such as Lakers‘ LeBron James – will be grandfathered. https://t.co/bhNSldVKz0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 11, 2022
That’s a pretty awesome thing, man. You absolutely love to see a legend like Russell be honored in this way.
While we’re at it, though, let’s keep the party going. Russell was huge — not just on the court, but off of it, too. He changed lives in so many different ways and he should be honored in that same manner.
The NBA should give him a Bill Russell Day — the same way Major League Baseball gives Jackie Robinson a day.
There should be a time — just for a single day — where everyone rocks the number 6 on their jerseys to honor the legend Russell was.
I’ve got a few ideas on how they can do it. Let’s talk about it.