A Year in Essays, 8/2/22: On Bill Russell

 

A few days ago, the icon Bill Russell died after a full and rich life. His life was difficult because he was the star of a beloved team in a city that was slow to embrace him because of his color and his outspokenness. Nevertheless, he stayed with the Celtics for his entire career and, where he might have flown the coop after retirement, he remained in Boston, continuing to bear with the indignities and fighting the great fight for equity and equality.

It's funny how the arguments about who is the best basketball player of all time seldom include Russell. Magic, Larry, Michael, Kobe, and LeBron are always on people’s lips. Some throwback fans will argue for Wilt or Kareem. But Russell is without question the greatest defensive player that ever stepped onto the court. At a time when Wilt averaged almost 40 ppg, Russell would shut him down to 10 or 15. The Russell led Celtics owned the pre-Showtime Lakers and in fact the whole league, winning eleven championships. Everyone points to Jordan’s six or however many LeBron James has secured (you lose count due to the peripatetic nature of his career).

Russell has other accomplishments on the court that his chief competitors for the GOAT mantle don’t. He has NCAA titles and an Olympic Gold Medal (in the pre-Dream Time era). He never played for a losing team. Even the LeBron or Kobe camps, if they know their history, will admit that there has never been as great a team player as Bill Russell.

Then there is the social activism that Russell embodied. Never one to steer clear of a struggle, he and his teammates of color were outspokenly Black in a city that was not known for its racial equity. Where the Red Sox were slow to bring in Black or Brown players (not the Bruins though. Willy O’ree was the first black hockey player in the NHL), Walter Brown and Red Auerbach were never going to let color get in the way of winning. That didn’t mean acceptance though. Celtic fans and sportswriters were notorious for double standards and slights, while cheering on the successes of these players. You can wear green and win the championships, just don’t try to live in my communities. But Russell stayed. He charmed, he cajoled, he fought where he needed to, he led. With time, he became an institution. That doesn’t mean necessarily that he won acceptance for all POC in sports, perhaps, but I think we would not see a David Ortiz being the most popular Red Sox player of all time without Bill Russell paving a way.

Finally, towards the end of his life, he began to achieve the reverence that he had deserved. I was thrilled at my 25^th (?) Harvard reunion to witness him awarded an honorary Doctor of Law. To see him standing, head high and literally towering over everyone in the Tercentenary Theater was a glorious moment. Recently, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a well-deserved national accolade. There is no question that he is accepted in the pantheon of Boston sports by fans and writers alike, alongside Orr and Yaz, Flutie and Brady (perhaps). I am happy that at the end of his life, he recognized the love that his adopted city had for him and that when he left, I hope he left with his heart at peace.

Argue about the GOAT all you want. It doesn’t matter. Bill Russell never questioned his self-worth and from my standpoint, that’s exactly the type of player I would want to build a team around, and a city as well.