Bill Russell

Bill Russell died on July 31st.

I have been putting off writing about him for weeks. What the hell is a man like me going to say about a man like him?

He was a giant as an athlete, he was a giant at life. I am pre-born by way of comparison. Even at the age of 68.

I am glad I waited. The NBA retired Russell's #6 league-wide. That has never happened before. That tells you just how important he was to the game of basketball. Of course there are caveats and exclusions, but generally, that is a massive statement to make about the man.

Stats: He led his team to 2 consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956; he was captain of the gold-medal winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 summer Olympics; he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13 year career. Eleven. That includes a run of 8 straight championships. Are you fucking kidding me?

He was the NBA MVP five times, and an NBA All-Star twelve times.

I could go on but, really, there is no point. He was a God in the game of basketball. Period. Hands down.

Here's how Boston "fans" treated him. 

In the 1960's, Russell's home was vandalized while he and his family were on vacation. His home was a mess, the N-word was spray-painted on the walls, beer was poured on the pool table and the felt had been ripped up, his trophy case had been broken into and most of the trophies were smashed, and the vandals shit in his bed.

Every time the Celtics went on the road, vandals would tip over the family's garbage cans.

Here's the kind of man he was. 

Medgar Evers was the NAACP's first Mississippi field secretary, who worked to organize voter registration drives and economic boycotts. When he was assassinated in 1963, Russell called his brother, Charles Evers and asked him what he - Russell - could do. Evers asked him to come down to Mississippi to set up the first integrated basketball camp in the state.

Russell went down and did it. He had 6 NBA championships under his belt at the time. He didn't have to do anything. He definitely did not need to put his own life in jeopardy. It was such a volatile situation that as Russell slept at night, Charles Evers sat up and guarded the motel room with a rifle. But Russell did it.

Bill Russell participated in the Cleveland Summit in 1967. It was a meeting of prominent black Americans organized by Jim Brown in support of Muhammad Ali's decision not to serve in the Viet Nam war. There were 11 attendees, including Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Jim Brown, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

At the age of 83, Bill Russell took a knee and tweeted "Proud to take a knee and to stand tall against social injustice."

This is merely a thumbnail sketch of who Bill Russell was. That's why I hesitated in writing this. It does not do the man justice.

He was an NBA superstar in every sense of the word, a spectacular athlete and competitor who earned the respect of all athletes. A man who went way beyond athletic achievements to live a life fighting racism and hatred and violence. A meaningful life. Regardless of the potential consequences, regardless of the danger to himself, selflessly fighting to make other peoples' lives better.

He was outspoken, he had strong opinions and was not afraid to express them. He stood up for what he believed in and never backed down. 

He made the world a better place. And while he was at it, he enthralled basketball fans for 13 years, just to put some icing on the cake.

A real man and a genuine human being. A brave man.

Who lived a deeply meaningful life.