Celtics great Bill Russell will become the first NBA player to have his jersey number retired across the league, the NBA announced on Thursday.
Russell, who died earlier this month at 88, is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He won 11 championships in 13 years with the Celtics — an unprecedented level of success made even more impressive because Russell coached two of those teams in addition to playing on them. He was the first Black head coach in NBA history.
Russell was also a civil rights advocate who marched with Martin Luther King Jr.