The West Coast Conference is honoring the late Boston Celtics great Bill Russell with “Bill Russell Recognition Week,” celebrating his accomplishments on the court and activism off of it during Conference men’s and women’s basketball games in the first week of the month of February 2023, according to a release by the WCC.
Per the release, student-athletes ” will wear a shirt representing Russell’s famous No. 6 during pregame activities” and the league will also air a tribute video to commemorate Russell’s legacy that “will air prior to each game” with the WCC recognizing Russell and Black History Month on their digital platforms and broadcasts.
In 2020, the WCC instituted the “Russell Rule,” which requires “each member institution to include a member of a traditionally underrepresented community in the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach position in the athletic department ”
Jayen Brown turns to Celtics great Bill Russell when the balance of basketball and advocacy gets tough https://t.co/kDmeqv07YM
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 2, 2023
The policy, named in honor of the Celtics great, has since resulted in more than half of such hires coming from such groups, per the WCC release.
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