Remembering Bill Russell’s broadcasting career, which had awkward moments

After his playing days, Bill Russell worked as an NBA game analyst for ABC and CBS in the 1970s and '80s.Bill Russell achieved so much on an extraordinary scale in his 88 years that ordinary but interesting phases of his life became afterthoughts.

He was a devastating, one-of-a-kind basketball force, of course, the ultimate winner, the rebounding, shot-swatting fulcrum for 11 Celtics championships in his 13 seasons. He was a trailblazer in myriad ways, including as the first Black head coach in major American professional sports. Most important, he was a resolute civil rights activist who used his prominence to fight racial inequality.

Remembering Bill Russell requires us to think deeply…