To the Boston Celtics and much of the world, Hall of Fame Boston big man Bill Russell is the greatest champion of all time in the sport of basketball. How he revolutionized the game in terms of verticality, defense, and cerebrality all while having not only the time but a compulsion to be at the forefront of the US Civil Rights movement was, as the Celtics themselves put it, “unthinkable” before Russell.
“Bill was a champion unlike any other in the history of team sports – an 11-time NBA champion, including winning eight consecutive titles, a five-time MVP, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and the NBA’s first Black head coach,” wrote the team in a memorial video they recently shared on the team’s official YouTube channel.
As an inseparable part of the Celtics organization and the NBA more generally, Russell was a living, breathing embodiment of what we all ought to aspire towards whether in sport or life beyond it.
