The love affair between the Boston Celtics organization and Hall of Fame Celtics center Bill Russell was very real and based on a foundation of mutual respect. But Russell’s connection with the city of Boston is a far more complicated one due to the overt racism and misunderstanding he experienced at the hands of fans and the local media.
His refusal to be pigeonholed as simply an athlete and lack of interest in making white fans comfortable by signing autographs or compromising his views or activism in the US Civil Rights movement of the 1960s would see Russell leave the area on retiring. Boston made inroads to show they truly appreciated him in the last two decades or so of his life, but to ignore this part of his history would do us all a disservice.
Moreover, Russell is among the most important figures of the last century for exactly the stances he took that drew the ire of that era’s white Bostonians.
After he passed last weekend, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast got together with the New York Times’ Sopan Deb to memorialize Russell’s activism and individuality.
Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
Related
The relationship between Bill Russell and Red Auerbach that made the Boston Celtics champions
Bill Russell’s bond with the Boston Celtics organization
Renowned NBA journalist Jackie MacMullan credits Celtics’ Bill Russell for being ‘fearless’
Boston Celtics release memorial video for NBA, civil rights icon Bill Russell
Celtics Lab 133: Remembering Bill Russell the man and activist with Sopan Deb
Boston Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck remembers Bill Russell’s ‘joyous laugh’
List
Boston’s Jaylen Brown cracks HoopsHype’s top five shooting guards for 2022-23
List
Could the Jaylen Brown-Kevin Durant trade rumor saga finally be coming to an end for the Boston Celtics?
List
Boston Celtics and civil rights icon Bill Russell: A life well-lived in photos
List
Tabatabaie: The NBA should universally retire Bill Russell’s No. 6 jersey
Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire