The NBA announced on Thursday that 11-time Boston Celtics champion and civil rights pioneer legend, who
died last month at the age of 88, will have his jersey number, 6, permanently retired throughout the league.
The NBA announced that the Hall of Famer will be the first player to have his number retired throughout the league.
“Bill Russell’s unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserve to be honored in a
unique and historic way,” Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, said in a statement. “Permanently retiring his No. 6
across every NBA team ensures that Bill’s transcendent career will always be recognized.”
The NBA announced that in addition to retiring Russell’s number, the league will pay tribute to the Boston Celtics
star throughout the 2022-23 season. “All NBA players will wear a commemorative patch on the right shoulder of
their jerseys, and every NBA court will display a clover-shaped logo with the No. 6 on the sideline near the scorer’s
table,” the league said in a statement.
The NBA said that the Celtics will have “a separate and unique recognition for him on their uniforms.”
Russell, a five-time NBA MVP and 12-time All-Star, became the first player to win an Olympic gold medal, an NBA
championship, and a collegiate championship.
His illustrious career also includes a Presidential Medal of Freedom, admission into the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame, and 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics. In 1980, basketball writers named
Russell the greatest player in NBA history.
He was also the first Black head coach in a major US sport.
Off the court, Russell marched for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King Jr., backed Muhammad Ali, and was
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
“He was the ‘champion of champions.'” We collaborated with him to install the Bill Russell statue at City Hall. He
was overjoyed because President Obama came to see the statue. “It demonstrates his influence extended far beyond
sports,” said Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca.
