While the NBA is a beacon for freedom and tolerance in America, things didn’t start off that way. In a place like Boston, during the 50s and 60s, racial tension was a pretty serious problem, and superstar big man Bill Russell had to deal with it on a game-to-game basis.
Today, it can be hard for us to imagine just how difficult being a black basketball player really was back then.
Fortunately, we have some clips:
“The number one paper was the Boston Herald and they didn’t like the idea of an NBA team having black players. Out there, the star was Bob Cousy. No matter what I did, Cousy was the star. I remember I had a game where I had 25 points, 25 rebounds, 10 blocks, and the Boston Herald said I was lucky to play with Cousy.”
Unfortunately, the media didn’t give Russell his respect back then. Despite being the best player on the court, and on his team, Cousy and others always got the spotlight.
Even the fans weren’t very accepting of Bill:
“I didn’t bother with them fans because when I was a star, the fans called us the ‘Boston Globetrotters'” because the Celtics had black players.”
At that time, the U.S.A. was vastly different than the country we know it as today. Racism was prevalent, and many battles had yet to be won.
Even in the world of sports, white Americans tried their best to shut out people of color and give all the glory to the white players.
While Bill Russell should have been appreciated more, his dominance and skill set were just too good to be ignored. Despite resistance from all corners, he thrived in the league and made a name for himself as a basketball star, family man, and civil rights activist.
It’s just unfortunate that he had to play in such a hostile climate for much of his NBA career.
