BREAKING: NBA Retires Bill Russell's No. 6 Across The League

The NBA announced on Thursday that they will be retiring Bill Russell's No. 6 across the entire league.

A true legend of life itself, not just the game of basketball, the National Basketball Association announced on Thursday that they will forever be retiring Bill Russell’s No. 6 leaguewide.

The NBA and NBPA announced today that they will honor the life and legacy of 11-time NBA champion and civil rights pioneer Bill Russell by permanently retiring his uniform number, 6, throughout the league.

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— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 11, 2022

Russell recently passed away at the end of July at the age of 88-years-old, but the countless lives he touched on and off of the basketball floor will never be forgotten.

An 11-time NBA champion as a player and 2-time NBA champion as a head coach, Russell was one of the greatest players in league history and he also made a huge difference in the community in regards to social justice.

He was a civil rights icon during his playing career and in 2011, former United States President Barack Obama awarded Russell with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Now permanently retiring Bill Russell’s uniform No. 6 to preserve his life and legacy, the NBA is making sure that Russell’s name will forever live on in basketball history.

A commemorative patch on uniforms and a logo on courts will also be used across the NBA as well for the 2022-23 season, the NBA and NBPA announced on Thursday afternoon.

“Bill Russell’s unparalleled success on the court pioneering civil right activism deserves to be honored in a unique and historic way,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement put out by the league. “Permanently resting his No. 6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill’s transcendent career will always be recognized.”

As for players who currently wear the No. 6, they will be “grandfathered in” and can continue to use the number, which will never be given out to any player again. Notable names who wore No. 6 during the 2021-22 season include: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Kristaps Porzingis (Washington Wizards) and Alex Caruso (Chicago Bulls).

Outside of his championships, Bill Russell was also named MVP of the league five different times and he was named a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. He was hired to be the head coach of the Boston Celtics in 1966, becoming the first Black head coach in the history of the NBA and major U.S. professional sports.