Wow! Bill Russell AND Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura) pass on the same day! BOTH pioneers in their own way/field. My condolences to the family(s).
Rest In Peace, big man. What an absolute legend we’ve lost. He might be the greatest center of all time. He was certainly better than Wilt Chamberlain and we know he was great. Rest peacefully, you’ve earned it.
He was a genius and a legend, a true generational talent on and off the court. He lived a full life, Rest in Peace big Bill.
The NBA, slowly but surely, losing its early legends of the game. What was always amazing about the NBA compared to other sports is that all their greats from its formative years were still around, but now the last of them are passing on. If you still have Grandparents, listen to their stories now, you won't be able to when they're gone.
The world is changing too fast, for better or worse. They lived in a different time that we can only imagine.
Cool graphic, but it mispresents Horry as having won his 7 rings with the Lakers, when he won 4 of them with other teams. Kareem also won one of those rings with the Bucks.
In those old game films and interviews, it seemed like he never smiled, like the weight of the world was always on his shoulders and he was constantly determined to fight and win. In his retirement years, I can barely picture him not smiling. He got the respect and love he always wanted by fighting and winning in his very own way, a way nobody else could. Won 2 rings as a starter/head coach. Nobody will ever do that again. He earned every smile.
It's been brought up, by Magic iirc: Should the NBA retire his jersey throughout the league like MLB did with Jackie Robinson's 42?
It's not a terrible idea. If any one basketball player could be said to transcend the sport, the way Jackie Robinson transcended baseball, it would be Bill Russell. I'd be fine either way.
I’m sorry, this is dumb. Gonna retire Jordan’s number league wide when he dies? Or LeBron’s? Should we retire Kobe’s 8 & 24 league wide?
