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The NBA announced this week it will permanently retire Bill Russell's No.6 jersey throughout the league, following his death in July. |
The No. 6 jersey worn by Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell will be permanently retired throughout the league, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Thursday.
Russell, who died on July 31 at the age of 88 and won 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, is the only player whose number has been retired by all 30 clubs.
The league commissioner, Adam Silver, said in a statement announcing the announcement, "Bill Russell's unmatched achievement on the court and pioneering civil rights work deserve to be remembered in a unique and historic fashion."
Bill's outstanding career will always be remembered because every NBA franchise has permanently retired his No. 6, according to Silver.
Pictured in 2011, NBA legend Russell was an esteemed civil rights activist.
According to Tamika Tremaglio, executive director of the NBPA, "This is a historic award reserved for one of the greatest champions to ever play the game."
"We will always be grateful to Bill for the positive influence he had on subsequent generations of players via his conduct both on and off the court throughout his life. Along with the league, we are honored to carry on the celebration of his life and legacy "Tremaglio continued.
The NBA will no longer wear Russell's number, but will also recognize the five-time MVP by having a special patch sewn onto each team's jersey's right shoulder. Additionally, each floor will have a clover-shaped graphic with the number 6 on the sideline close to the scorer's table.
Russell was the first Black head coach in the NBA and is the most successful player in league history.
The choice to permanently retire his number echoes Major League Baseball's 1997 decision to do the same for baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson.
'He inspired me to be a better man'
Russell attempting to score against the Lakers in the 1969 Celtics' victory and reaffirmation of their championship.
Russell dominated on the court, but his contributions outside of basketball were also lauded.
He marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, denounced racial segregation, and supported Muhammad Ali's decision not to enlist in the Vietnam War. He was a well-known civil rights activist.
NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told CNN's Don Lemon on Monday, "He became a role model when I recognized some of the things that concerned me and bothered me about race relations in America were things that he addressed."
Abdul-Jabbar, who had a 60-year connection with Russell, continued, "He taught me a technique to speak about it that had all of the aspects of wanting to create things better, rather than simply being furious."
Russell claimed in the 1950s that Black players were purposefully left out of the mostly white NBA, and in 1964 he joined the league's first all-Black starting lineup.
Russell experienced racial taunts as a player despite his accomplishments on the court, and his family also experienced threats, break-ins, and vandalism.
He handled events "without giving in to all of the wrath and rage that he must have felt," recalled Abdul-Jabbar. "He motivated me to be a better guy." "Bill demonstrated to the world the true meaning of class."
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