According to one definition, a legend is “an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field.” It can also be defined as “a story coming down from the past” or “a body of such stories.”
Bill Russell is a legend. Frank Deford is a legend.
Both are pioneering titans in their respective fields of basketball and sportswriting. The former is arguably the preeminent leader and champion in the history of team sports. The latter is arguably the most elegant, literary chronicler of athletes like Russell, the creator of a body of stories capable of rendering his subjects both human and legendary.