In 1972, Bill Russell, the great Boston Celtics big man, had his jersey honored in a ceremony at the old Boston
Garden. The event was short and somber, with no fanfare or even fans. Because of his strained connection with the
city, the Celtics legend refused to participate in the ceremony.
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Russell had encountered significant racism from a segment of the crowd over the years and had no desire to share
such a moment with the same folks who had called him epithets and worse throughout his tenure with the Celtics.
“He had animosities toward Boston, as most people know,” said Tom Heinsohn, a former teammate and fellow
champion, as reported by Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.
Russell’s jersey would be retired for the second time in 1999, this time in front of a far larger crowd of teammates,
friends, and peers, including Wilt Chamberlain, a lifetime opponent on the court and friend off it.
“The man is greedy,” Chamberlain stated with a smirk as he announced his second retirement to the Buffalo News.
“He has eleven rings and ten fingers.”
It is also the date when famous Celtics forward Larry Bird scored 60 points in 1985, a career high for the Hick from
French Lick.
It is also a franchise record for single-game scoring by a Boston player that still stands today, set in a 126-115 win
over the Atlanta Hawks at a neutral site in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The offensive outburst occurred just nine days after Bird’s teammate Kevin McHale scored 56 points in a victory over
the Detroit Pistons.
