Celtics Pay Tribute to Bill Russell In Season Opener vs. 76ers

Boston honored the late 12-time All-Star ahead of its Opening Night game against Philadelphia.

The Celtics unveiled one of several tributes to honor the late NBA legend Bill Russell ahead of their game against the 76ers on Opening Night of the 2022–23 NBA season.

Russell died on July 31 at the age of 88. Boston honored the 12-time All-Star with poem entitled “SESTINA” which was written and performed by Porsha Olayiwola, a Chicago native who lives in Boston. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc performed while Celtics guard Jaylen Brown shared a tribute to the NBA icon, sharing what made the Boston legend “great” and how Russell’s greatness went far beyond his 11 championships with the franchise.

“… Bill Russell was a great man for what and who he stood for,” Brown said ahead of Tuesday’s game. “During the peak of racial tension in our society, he represented a type of nobility and honor that transcended sports. The amount of respect he receives from his people will live on eternally. … He was a true champion both on and off the floor.”

“Bill Russell was a great man.”

The Celtics honor #6 pregame 💚 pic.twitter.com/7RExyaOyjE

— NBA (@NBA) October 19, 2022

The Celtics also wore their city edition uniforms on Tuesday to pay respect to Russell. The uniforms donned a gold motif to symbolize his unmatched career that includes the Golden Era of Boston, one in which Russell won 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons with eight consecutively from 1959 to ’66.

Boston honoring Russell on Tuesday comes as the team has orchestrated a host of tributes to show its respect to the former five-time NBA MVP throughout the season. Last month, the Celtics announced Russell’s illustrious No. 6 would embellish the free throw lanes on both ends of its court, marking the first time that numerical text would be featured within that area on an NBA court. 

In August, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that No. 6 had been permanently retired across all 30 teams. Every NBA court will display a clover-shaped logo with the number 6 on the sideline near the scorer’s table while players throughout the league will also wear a commemorative patch on the right shoulder of their jerseys.

The two-time Hall of Famer was a civil rights pioneer. His three-year stint as the Celtics’ player-coach made him the first Black coach in North American professional sports, and the first to win a championship.

Boston also plans to honor Russell on Feb. 12, 2023, when the Celtics face the Grizzlies. The date would have marked Russell’s 89th birthday.

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