Boston Celtics of past and present pay tribute to the late, great Bill Russell

This past Sunday, the world endured a true loss for the ages, as Boston Celtics legend, Bill Russell, sadly passed away at the age of 88.

Though perhaps known best as the winningest player in NBA history, netting 11 championship rings throughout his 13-year career (1956-69), Russell’s greatness extended far beyond the hardwood, as he was one of the most prolific athletes, along with Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to have used their platforms to fight injustice directly during the civil right’s movement.

His accomplishments on the court wound up earning him career averages of 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists and accolades such as 12 All-Star nods and five league MVP awards, while his efforts off the floor aided in the fight against racial injustice and, in turn, earned him the Medal of Freedom, which was bestowed to several other notable civil rights activists such as John Lewis and Maya Angelou.

Now, as great of a basketball player he was, one could easily argue that Bill Russell the person was even greater, and it is because of this that his passing has been met with such loud praise and words of admiration from sports figures, fans, and just the casual individual alike.

Of course, this news has especially left the Boston Celtics community with a heavy heart, and we’ve already seen members of the franchise (both past and present) share words of love for the all-around icon:

Despite having only donned the green and white threads of the Boston Celtics throughout his illustrious and GOAT-status career, the impact of his passing has unsurprisingly been felt across the entirety of the league and, frankly, the world.

A father, husband, friend, activist, athlete, and, of course, winner, Bill Russell was a man of many endeavors who saw an unmatched amount of truly inspirational triumphs along the way.

With the heartbreaking passing of the Boston Celtics legend, we mourn not just for one of the greatest basketball players and athletes of all time, but for the strong-willed, justice-seeking icon who fought tirelessly for what he believed in or, in other words, for what was right.

Moving forward, we must all strive to keep Russell’s ideals and beliefs alive and flourishing, for, with this, even after death we could continue to see him adding more wins to his already unrivaled collection.

Long live No. 6!