The Warriors will honor Bill Russell ahead of their matchup with the Celtics on Saturday by hoisting his jersey to the rafters.
Russell’s daughter, Karen Kenyatta Russell, will share some thoughts. Warriors Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts – who knew Russell for almost 50 years – and Tom Meschery, who competed against Russell in the 1960s and 1970s, will do the same.
Every NBA team is retiring his number, but this ceremony carries even more weight because of his ties to the Bay Area.
Russell moved to Oakland in elementary school and starred at both McClymonds High School in West Oakland and the University of San Francisco.