Few athletes have embodied both success in their sport and the fight against racism more than Bill Russell.
Now 86, the 11-time NBA champion has spent decades calling out bigotry and prejudice.
In a recent essay for The Players’ Tribune, Russell spoke in-depth about the ongoing nature of systemic racism. Starting with an anecdote about a television interview he conducted in 1969 with segregationist Georgia Governor Lester Maddox, Russell connected it to 2020.
“I’m struck by how similar it felt to the moment I’m living through now,” wrote Russell. “In 2020, Black and Brown people are still fighting for justice, racists still hold the highest offices in the land, and kids today still grow up with cultural norms that aren’t different enough from the ones that Lester Maddox grew up with.