Celtics
The city of Boston plans to immortalize Celtics legend and civil rights activist Bill Russell.
Boston announced Friday that it can rename the North Washington Street Bridge after Russell, changing it to the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge.
According to town, the bridge has been under reconstruction since 2018 and the work is predicted to be accomplished within the spring. The bridge connects Charlestown and North End and spans the Charles River.
An Oct. 21 ceremony attended by Russell's widow Jeannine, former and current Celtics players and Mayor Michelle Wu will make the renaming official.
Wu says the renaming isn't meant to honor his basketball legacy. Rather, town would love to honor his civil rights work.
“Renaming the bridge will honor his commitment to civil rights and the advancement of Boston’s youth and young athletes.” Wu's office said.
Russell was known for speaking out against racism against himself and others. He staged a strike during a game in 1961 when a Southern cafe refused to serve two of his Celtics teammates. Russell also marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and attended the 1967 Cleveland Summit to indicate support for Muhammad Ali after the boxer refused to enter the Vietnam War draft.
Even at his peak as a highly successful athlete in Boston, residents on the time didn't want him living of their neighborhood. Fans often hurled racial insults at him and his teammates, and so they were separated from their white counterparts in some hotels when traveling to away games.
“Bill endured insults and vandalism for decades, but that never stopped him from standing up for what was right,” President Barack Obama said after Russell’s death in 2022. “I learned so much from the way the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life.”
Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Russell won 11 NBA championships as a Celtics player between 1956 and 1969. He won his last three titles when he was also Boston's head coach. Russell became the primary black head coach of a significant sport within the United States when he took the position in 1966.
In addition to his double-digit championships, he was a 12-time All-Star and five-time MVP and his No. 6 was retired by all NBA teams. The NBA Finals MVP award can also be named after Russell.
He died on July 31, 2022 on the age of 88.
image credit : www.boston.com