Bill Russell, all-time NBA great and cultural icon, dead at 88

Bill Russell died peacefully on Sunday at the age of 88 according to a statement released on social media.

Russell was eight years old when his family moved to the Bay Area from the South. He used his size, long wingspan, and advanced instincts to become one of basketball's early defensive innovators. Russell was one of the NBA's first Black superstars when he was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the mid-sixties, after winning a gold medal at the Olympics.

One of the NBA's most prestigious teams was led by Russell over the course of his 13-year career. He was subjected to discrimination in Boston. Russell was a black man in Boston. He wrote in Slam Magazine, "During games people yelled racist things: 'Go back to Africa,' 'Baboon,' and 'Coon.'" The person said, 'Nigger.'

During the Civil Rights era, Russell used his energy to fight. On June 4, 1967, Russell joined Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Lew Alcindor, and a bunch of other black athletes for the Cleveland Summit where they expressed their support for Ali.