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Editor, News-Register:
July 31, 2022, marked the passing of a truly iconic sports legend and civil rights activist, William Felton "Bill" Russell, at the age of 88.
Mr. Russell was the personification of a true champion of competitive team sports, leading his teams to championships as has no other athlete, winning two NCAA championships with the University of San Francisco while in college in 1955 and 1956, followed by his winning 11 NBA championships as a professional over his 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics in 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969, with the last two while serving as the Celtics' player-coach. In addition, Mr. Russell led team USA to an Olympic gold medal in 1956.
Professionally, Mr. Russell was the first African-American basketball superstar and NBA head coach, winning the Most Valuable Player award five times, and was selected as a member of the NBA All-Star team 12 times.
In addition, Mr. Russell was selected as "The Greatest Player" in the history of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America in 1980.
Mr. Russell holds the all-time NBA record for NBA championship series games played with 70, and rebounds with 1,718, which is nearly double that of his nearest competitor, Wilt Chamberlain.
Also, Mr. Russell is second all-time in rebounding in NBA history in the regular season to Chamberlain with 21,620 to Mr. Chamberlain's 23,924.
As a result, Mr. Russell has been honored by his NBA team, the Boston Celtics, by their retirement of his jersey No. 6 in 1972, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, received an honorary doctorate degree from Harvard University, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2011, and has had a statue erected in his honor in Boston's City Hall Plaza, as well as countless other honors.
Recently "Slam" magazine selected Mr. Russell as the fourth best collegiate basketball player, and the sixth best professional basketball player, of all-time.
In addition, Mr. Russell was well-known, and highly respected, for his advocacy of and participation in the Civil Rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., along with other Black athletes of the era, such as Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and many others.
Mr. Russell lived a very historically significant iconic life and will undoubtedly be continued to be lionized, and rightfully so, in the decades to come.
Richard Hord
Martins Ferry