The basketball world was badly shaken by the passing away of Bill Russell in July earlier this year. A great man in every sense of the word, Russell was one of the prominent figures in the fight against racism which was prevalent during his playing days, and he also did so much for those who came after him into the league.
Russell is and forever will be an inspiration to so many and the Boston Celtics, with whom he won a record 11 NBA championships, will honor him by having his no. 6 on their court. He also received an amazing tribute from Jerry West and Alonzo Mourning during the Hall of Fame ceremony, as they paid respect to one of the titans of the game.
Ben Wallace Says Everyone Should Start The Season By Wearing No. 6
The NBA also gave Russell the rarest of honors, as they announced that his jersey would be getting retired league-wide. He is just the third individual across the major American professional sports leagues to have that done for him, which speaks to his impact. While the decision was well-received, former NBA player Ben Wallace had an interesting suggestion on what he would do if he was in charge when he was asked by TMZ if it was okay for players like LeBron who wore the number last year to still wear it now.
“I don’t think it’s a problem with them wearing no. 6. They couldn’t foresee the passing of Mr. Russell. If it was up to me, I start the season with everybody having to wear no. 6.”
It would be an incredible tribute to Russell if something like that could be done. We spoke about him being the third player to get his jersey retired league-wide and the first one to be given that honor was Jackie Robinson from the MLB. The league also decided to honor him by having Jackie Robinson day on the 15th of April, when all players, coaches, managers, and umpires wear his no. 42. It was the day he made his MLB debut, which broke the color barrier, and it’s the only time anyone gets to wear that number.
Perhaps the NBA could do something similar for Russell, but there is no word on that just yet. Even if they don’t, they have already given him the ultimate honor that he well and truly deserved.
