NBA Legend Passes

There are so few people on the world of sports who can win both on and off the court and do it better than anybody else. A perfect example of that is former Boston Celtics great Bill Russell. He was one of only two people with more then ten championship rings to his name. He, along with hockey star Henri Richard, each won eleven championships in their respective sports. But its what Russel did away from the game that is just as, if not more, impactful than what he did off the court that stands out. Well yesterday the star player passed away. He was 88 years old.

The word Icon gets thrown around in the sports world a lot, but in my mind Bill Russell will always be one of the greatest icons to ever walk onto a court. His numbers as a basketball player speak for themselves. Eleven NBA titles, five MVP awards, twelve time all star. He scored 14,522 points and recorded 21,620 rebounds in his career. he was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. He has gone down in the books as one of the greatest to  ever step foot on the hardwood.

It's what he did off the court that was just as important. He went above and beyond in terms of racial injustice and improving things for the black community. He was very active in the black power movement. He was a force in pushing for more equality for black athletes and black people in general. What he did to move the needle towards equality cannot be measured, even to this day. Its amazing what that man did on and off the court and he was a larger than life presence in any room that he entered.