Bill Russell's Hall of Fame story is back in circulation, and it remains one of the cleaner windows into how he saw his place in basketball history.
Russell was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. He refused to take part in the ceremony because he did not want to be the first Black player inducted while earlier Black pioneers were still waiting for that recognition.
He explained it years later, after accepting his Hall of Fame ring in a private 2019 ceremony.
"In '75 I refused being the 1st black player to go into the @Hoophall I felt others before me should have that honor," Russell wrote at the time.
Russell also referenced Chuck Cooper's Hall of Fame recognition as progress. Cooper became the first Black player drafted by an NBA team in 1950, when the Boston Celtics selected him.
That piece of history is why the decision still lands. Russell had every credential needed to stand first in line. He was the NBA's first Black MVP, a first-team All-NBA selection, the league's first Black head coach and the first Black coach to win a title.
His winning record was just as loud. Russell won two NCAA championships at San Francisco in 1955 and 1956, then won 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons with Boston. As player-coach, he led the Celtics to championships in 1968 and 1969.
The Celtics also carried another milestone under Russell: the NBA's first all-Black starting lineup, which went 12-0.
Russell's relationship with Boston was never simple. He faced racism while becoming the face of the Celtics' dynasty, and he declined a public jersey retirement ceremony in 1972. His No. 6 was first retired privately.
The Hall of Fame choice was not a small gesture. It was Russell using his own spotlight to point toward players he believed had been left outside the room too long.
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