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What Made Bill Russell?
Bill Russell, American Professional Basketball Player and NBA Legend was the second overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft. He competed as a center for the Boston Celtics until 1969, eventually being inducted into the hall of fame in 1975. Yesterday, on July 31 2022, Bill Russell passed away peacefully at the age of 88 years old.
To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionize the way the game is played, and to be a societal leader all at once seems unthinkable, but that is who Bill Russell was. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/K0Ue0hKiLs
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 31, 2022
This death brings a sad day to hundred of thousands of individuals who respected Mr. Russell not only as a player, but as a person. With incredible feats that include a gold medal from the 1956 Basketball Olympics, 11x NBA Champion, 5x NBA MVP, and 12x NBA All-Star, Bill Russell definitely showed what kind of person he was on the court, but chose to use his platform to make a difference after the buzzer as well.
Russell Off the Court
Bill Russell was born into an unfair America in Louisiana during the 1930s. After two years in the NBA, he began using his voice to fight these inequalities that he grew up in. He began by standing with Martin Luther King Jr. and marching in hid nonviolent protests. Then, in 1963, he held a youth basketball cam for children of all races, to make white and black Americans alike come together. Bill Russell faced issues of racism throughout his entire life in Boston, and decided to put these thoughts and experiences into a book he wrote in 1979, Second Wind: Memoirs of an Opinionated Man.
Russell also stood as a figure for other sports. He even defended Muhammad Ali when he refused to serve in the military on the basis of his religious beliefs. Russell continued to make a difference in the NBA even after his time as a player and coach. In 2006, he persuaded Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant to make peace before their Martin Luther King Day game. That same day, he received the NBA’s National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award.
Today, we lost a giant.
As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher—both as a player and as a person.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 31, 2022
Bill Russell was a decorated athlete and a advanced minded individual. His monumental step in the right direction of civil rights are worth more than any medal or trophy one could receive. He was a man for the greater good and fought for innocent people. All condolences are with his family as they go through this time of mourning.
