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 due to the racism and misunderstanding he experienced at the hands of fans and the local media.
His refusal to be pigeonholed as simply an athlete and his lack of interest in making white fans comfortable by signing autographs or compromising his views or activism in the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s contributed to Russell leaving the area upon retiring. Boston made inroads to show it 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 gathered 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
