The NBA will honor 11-time champion and all-time great Bill Russell by retiring his No. 6 throughout the league.
A Russell commemorative patch on uniforms and a logo on courts will be used across the NBA as well for the 2022-23 season, the league and National Basketball Players Association announced Thursday.
"Bill Russell's unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserve to be honored in a unique and historic way," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Permanently retiring his No. 6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill's transcendent career will always be recognized.