To the NBA commissioner, Russell was more than just the game’s greatest champion. He was also a close confidant and friend.
Long before he was running the NBA, Adam Silver was an eager young staffer whose duties included opening mail, writing memos and carrying around large stacks of glossy Bill Russell photos—all of it important, none of it as gratifying as the last bit.
Russell, of course, was famously reluctant to sign autographs, preferring a conversation or a handshake to a scribbled signature as a means to connect with people. But for the fan who required something tangible, there were the glossy photos.