The NBA is a shame.
It is a great honor to retire Bill Russell's number 6. His number will never be issued to any player from here on out, according to the league and the players' association.
It made sense.
Russell was not only a great basketball player but also a great person. He was at the forefront of civil rights. He was talking and walking the walk. Russell was faced with racism in Boston.
It was a great honor to be associated with a great man.
It feels like a statement about the man was late and short.
Two weeks ago, Russell passed away.
The NBA had a lot of time to honor Russell and could have seen and experienced such a defining moment in his life.
The ball went off the league's foot. If you think about it, it's really bad.
Russell should have received his flowers while he was still alive. Russell was involved in the league into his 80s.
He wasn't out of sight and out of mind.
Russell did a public service announcement for the league during the vaccine push.
The NBA didn't seize that moment to honor one of its own.
After the death of Russell, the NBA felt compelled to do what was right.
There wasn't a lot of interest in honoring Russell. I have been covering the NBA for almost 30 years. Didn't hear it once.
The first time most people heard about this was when Magic Johnson posted the idea a day or two after Russell's death.
The NBA ended up being reactionary. It should have been done a long time ago. You shouldn't have to be told that you have something. You should have been aware.
Russell was a successful coach and broadcaster. The Basketball Hall of Fame had a member named Russell. He could have been honoured by the league.
President Barack Obama gave Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 for his excellence on the court and his dedication to social justice. Back then, Russell was 76 years old. The NBA didn't wake up at the switch.
Russell left us for the NBA to see the biggest man in the room. The tag was not related to his height. Russell was the one who stood up for what was right.
The NBA named the finals most valuable player award after Russell.
There is nothing quite like having your number retired league-wide.
There was a death at 53 years old. Robinson was honored by MLB in 1997. His number was retired for the whole game. It had never happened before in pro sports.
The number 99 was retired by Wayne Gretzky in the NHL. The Great One was honored by the NHL.
The NBA is late to the event. It is better than being a complete no-show.
The NBA will retire the legend's number and give him a patch. The right sleeve of every team's jersey will have a patch on it. NBA teams will have a logo with Russell's number on it.
NBA players wore the number 6 last season, including the Lakers star. The players can wear the number until either they change it or retire.
WeTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkia The last player to wear 42 was Rivera. He wore the number despite MLB retiring it as a tribute to Robinson. The number 42 faded to black after Rivera's retirement.
It would have been amazing for Russell to see that Robinson was treated the same. The NBA had a chance to win the game. That is a very sad thing.
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