![]() Before the game, Sam Jones and Tom Sanders, two Black members of the Boston team, were refused service when they tried to grab a bite to eat from the hotel's café.Īccording to Mark C. In October 1961, the Boston Celtics were in Lexington, Ky., for a pre-season exhibition game. Sports Bill Russell, basketball legend with record 11 NBA titles, dies at 88 The first game boycott over civil rights "And I hope that one day, in the streets of Boston, children will look up at a statue built not only to Bill Russell the player, but Bill Russell the man." "He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players, and made possible the success of so many who would follow," Obama said in 2011. standing up for Muhammad Ali and boycotting a game in Kentucky after his Black teammates were refused service in a coffee shop. However, the president was more impressed by Russell's life outside of his athletic accomplishments: marching with Martin Luther King Jr. All of the championships were playing for the Boston Celtics. He told those in attendance about Russell's record 11 NBA titles, more than any player in history. In February 2011, Barack Obama presented Russell with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the East Room of the White House. As a dedicated human rights activist, Russell fought against racial inequality both in and out of professional sports. ![]() The president recognized Russell not just for his legendary basketball career, but for his work as an activist on and off the court.īill Russell, who has died at the age of 88, was more than just a basketball superstar and world-class athlete. President Barack Obama awards Bill Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
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