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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Joseph Palmer

Bill Russell was the NBA’s king of championship rings – and far more important matters

Bill Russell NBA United States Barack Obama Basketball Muhammad Ali Celtics
Bill Russell
NBA great Bill Russell has died aged 88. Photograph: AP

If a person can somehow be widely adored while being simultaneously underappreciated, they must be truly great. The late NBA legend Bill Russell was a truly great person.

In the time since Russell’s death was announced by his family on Sunday, tributes have poured in from around the world. Among them was an eloquent eulogy from former US president Barack Obama in which he writes, “As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher –both as a player and as a person.” Obama would know: he presented Russell with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. And yet, despite the outpouring of kind words in his memory, Russell may still be the most underappreciated icon in NBA history.

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