LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 21: Basketball Hall of Fame member Bill Russell attends a game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 21, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aces defeated the Lynx 79-74. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images
A few things we learned or were reminded of since the news of the passing of Celtic great Bill Russell at 88 years old on Sunday….
Russell attended The March on Washington and heard Martin Luther King’s “ I Have a Dream” speech live.
He received The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2011
He played 13 NBA seasons and won 11 NBA titles He won an NCAA title, an Olympic Gold Medal and an NBA title all in an 18 month span… He was 10-0 in Game 7’s He was 84-58 lifetime versus Wilt In 165 playoff games Bill averaged 25 rebounds per game In Game 7 in 1962 versus the Lakers , Russell scored 30 points and pulled down 40 rebounds… In that same season he was the league’s MVP averaging 19 points and 23 rebounds per game…..He beat out these guys that season… Wilt….averaged 50 points and 26 rebounds per game Oscar Robertson….averaged a triple double Elgin Baylor…averaged 38 points and 19 rebounds The LA Times wrote Monday morning that Bill Russell was the only Celtic player ever to get a standing ovation at The Staples Center when he would attend a game after his career
Reaction to his death :
Paul Pierce
“Thank you for setting the bar
Thank you for your kind words of wisdom
Thanks you for that great laugh you had
You will be forever missed “
JasonTatum
“Thank you for everything
RIP legend”
Jaylen Brown
“I am honored to be able to have spent time with you Thank you for everything you stood for”
Barack Obama
“Today we lost a giant
As tall as Bill Russell stood,
His legacy rises far higher
Both as a player and a man”
Jerry West
“Bill Russell was not my rival
Bill Russell was my friend”
Michael Jordan
“He paved the way and set an example for every black player who came into the league Including me….
The world has lost a legend”
Peace #6…..and Thank You…..
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