The NBA community lost a giant on Sunday after reports that Bill Russell had died were confirmed.
The basketball great, and legend who had a hand in helping win 11 champions ships over the past 13 years, impacted the country by large. Russell even reportedly marched with Martin Luther King Jr., supported Muhammad Ali and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionize the way the game is played, and to be a societal leader all at once seems unthinkable, but that is who Bill Russell was. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/K0Ue0hKiLs
Bill Russell was a legendary player and coach, and an even better person. He approached everything he did with determination, principle, and wisdom. I will always be grateful for the chance to call him my friend. pic.twitter.com/CmMVzLJUJJ
My deepest condolences to the family, loved ones and the @NBA community on the loss of the greatest champion we’ve ever known: BILL RUSSELL. An activist, a pioneer, a humanitarian. He made the world better for us all.#RIPCHAMPION
Bill Russell was voted the greatest player in NBA history in a 1980 poll of basketball writers, and his Celtics coach Red Auerbach called him "the single most devastating force in the history of the game" when he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. https://t.co/GHeGOxkB3tpic.twitter.com/TLemjKIzKo
Bill Russell, who spent many of his formative years in the Bay Area, was a true giant in the game of basketball, and more importantly, in the game of life.
While the accolades on the court were immense, it was his overall impact as a pioneer that will leave the greatest legacy. pic.twitter.com/dfWxKDPW1q
This is terrible news. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Russell once when I was a young reporter. What a gracious, funny and inspiring person. Truly a class act in every way. A humanitarian, leader and champion. https://t.co/Htnr8ePxyF