Boston Celtics great Bill Russell called President Trump a coward in a recent overnight tweet, as protests demonstrating against police brutality and systemic racism continued throughout the country.
In the tweet, the NBA Hall-of-Famer can be seen kneeling with the Presidential Medal of Freedom bestowed on by then-President Obama in 2011, around his neck. It appears to be a photo Russell has previously tweeted. The recent message also quote-tweeted Trump saying, “We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!”
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016 as a way to protest police brutality and racial injustice in the US. Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, has been exiled from the NFL in recent years, with the quarterback saying he has been blackballed for his role in starting a wave of protests. Kaepernick has insisted all along he was good enough to play in the league.
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Two days ago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was wrong for not listening to players fighting for racial equality and encourages them to peacefully protest, as a multitude of demonstrations against systemic racism unfolded nationwide.
Protests have continued locally. Recent demonstrations, which have been held daily in Boston for more than a week, have focused mostly on the killing of George Floyd but also on the killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville and racial inequality at large.
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Floyd, a 46-year-old handcuffed Black man, died on Memorial Day when a white Minneapolis police officer pinned his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Taylor, an EMT, was killed in March by police executing a “no-knock” warrant. She would have turned 27 last Friday.
Last week, Russell offered some candid thoughts on the recent protests in the wake of Floyd’s death.
Russell, who won 11 titles with the Celtics and also garnered five league MVPs, was the foundation of the team’s 1960s dynasty. A bronze statue, unveiled outside City Hall in 2013, was considered by some to be a long-overdue tribute to the basketball legend in a city Russell once considered bigoted.
Russell, who became the first Black coach in major professional sports in North America when he was named Celtics player-coach in 1966, has often spoken out on civil rights issues, dating back to his time in Boston. He attended the 1963 March on Washington and was a supporter of Muhammad Ali at a time when the boxer was drawing controversy over his decision not to serve in the military.
“Bill Russell the man is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men,” said Obama at the 2011 Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony.
Christina Prignano and Christopher Price of Globe staff contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press was used.
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Danny McDonald can be reached at daniel.mcdonald@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Danny__McDonald.
“Bill Russell rips President Donald Trump’s stance against mail-in voting during coronavirus pandemic”
Former Boston Celtics great Bill Russell appears to be picking another fight with President Donald Trump in the commander in chief’s favorite arena - Twitter.
Russell attacked the president for his opposition to voting by mail, which has become a controversial topic in recent weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. Russell tweeted:
“Hello @realDonaldTrump there is a good reason for #VoteByMail not sure if you have heard of #coronavirus #COVIDー19 or better known as a #pandemic bit I don’t want to risk my life to #vote ! @MSNBC @CNN”
Several states are considering allowing mail in voting to avoid voting lines and election gatherings that would make social distancing and maintaining disinfected voting stations a challenge.
Russell’s tweet follows Trump’s own Twitter threat to Nevada to withhold federal funds for sending out mail-in ballots:
“State of Nevada “thinks” that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S. They can’t! If they do, “I think” I can hold up funds to the State. Sorry, but you must not cheat in elections. @RussVought45 @USTreasury
At 86 years old, Russell is more vulnerable to the affects of coronavirus, which has been particularly dangerous to people 60 and older.
Russell, an NBA Hall of Famer, won 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons and was a leader in the civil rights movement both in Boston and nationally. He the NBA’s first African American coach and attended the 1963 March on Washington. In 2011, President Barack Obama, who Trump has an acrimonious relationship with, awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Russell tagged MSNBC and CNN in his Tweet, likely in an attempt to draw attention to his attempt to pick a fight. It’s not the first time Russell has gone after Trump using a similar approach. When the president criticized LeBron James and CNN’s Don Lemon in 2018, Russell tweeted:
“At this time & place for any African American, @KingJames @donlemon @RepMaxineWaters @repjohnlewis & #NFL plyrs to be criticised by @realdonaldtrump means you must be doing something right! As I have said before- Its the biggest compliment you can get. @TwitterSports @MSNBC @CNN
Russell did the same thing when Trump famously used a derogatory phrase about the origin of many immigrants:
“Is @realDonaldTrump aware the first people to come here from #”SHIThole” countries did not come willingly, they came as slaves to build this country and the White House #Racismhasnologic @Lawrence @CNN @NBA @JoyAnnReid @FoxNews @POTUS #MLKDay2018″
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“Salut, Kisah Bill Russell Jadi Pelatih Kulit Hitam Pertama di NBA”
“NBA Legend Bill Russell Has Been Married 4 Times – Meet His 4th Wife Jeannine”
The NBA legend was one of the most acclaimed players in NBA history and still is. His defensive style on the court was a big influence on players in the future. At 85 years old, he still holds his stand over racism and is married for the fourth time.
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Bill Russell, is currently in his 4th marriage. At 85 years old, he is still active going to watch basketball games with his wife Jeannine Russell, as he shows in his Instagram account.
In a 2018 Halloween post, Bill wrote that he and Jeannine “go together like Bacon & Eggs”. On another photo posted, the couple watched the Los Angeles Lakers and the former player captioned the image saying he had a wonderful time with his wife. Both appear happy and smiling as Bill wears a Celtics cap.
LIFE ACHIEVEMENTS
Born in 1934, William Felton Russell, is considered one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. Russell started his professional career with the Boston Celtics in 1956 and played with the team for 13 years, leading the club to 11 championship titles.
The former player had a dominating presence on the court as a defender and an impressive ability to rebound. He was also named five times the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. He retired the game after the 1969 season was over, and after that, he frequently came back as a coach or executive for many years.
NBA Finals: Hall of Famer Bill Russell during Game 1 Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks, Dallas, TX 2006. I Image: Getty Images.
Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, but did not accept the ring until 2019, when ex-NBA star, Chuck Cooper, was also inducted in the Hall, whom he considered should be in the Hall of Fame before him.
In 2010 Bill also received from President Barack Obama, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, considered the country’s highest civil honor. He has three children from his first marriage to Rose Swisher, a daughter named Karen, who is a lawyer and TV pundit, and sons William Jr. and Jacob.
RACISM ISSUES
His achievements on the court were only a part of his outstanding career, as he had to face racism while rewriting Boston basketball history. On a few occasions, his home was assaulted, as well as he was rejected from being served at cafeterias. He also once heard from a reporter that he would not get MVP for being black.
In 2017, Bill showed his support to NFL players by posting a photo on social media to reject declarations made by President Trump. The image shows the NBA star kneeling proudly in front of the camera, with the caption: “Proud to take a knee and stand tall against social injustice”.
“SEVEN PLAYERS WHO HAVE WON NCAA, NBA AND OLYMPIC TITLES”
Clyde Lovellette
Clyde Lovellette was the first player to win the NBA and NCAA championships, along with the Olympic gold medal.
The three-time All-American center got his NCAA ring as a member of Kansas University in 1952. They faced St. John’s in the championship game, beating them comfortably behind Lovellette’s 33 points and 17 rebounds performance, setting a then-NCAA tournament scoring record, and earning the most outstanding performer honors.
Lovellette achieved his second major basketball accomplishment in the same year, as he and six of his Jayhawk teammates led the USA to the gold medal at the Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. Warren Womble coached the team, with Kansas’ Forrest “Phog” Allen being his assistant. Clyde was the team’s leading scorer with 13.9 PPG and had scored game-high 9 points in a historically low-scoring final when the USA beat the Soviet Union 36-25.
Jellybelly completed the treble by winning the NBA title in his rookie season, as his Minneapolis Lakers went all the way. He went back-to-back with Red Auerbach‘s Boston Celtics in 1963 and 1964, but had a minimal role during the run, as those were the two last seasons of his Hall of Fame NBA career.
Bill Russell and K.C. Jones
Bill Russell and K.C. Jones were teammates on all three championship teams that put them on this list. The two played together at the University of San Francisco, leading them to two consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956.
Their first NCAA championship run was capped off with a win over La Salle. Bill Russell was named tournament’s most valuable player, while Jones earned a spot on the all-tournament team, after dropping game-high 24 points in the finals. The Dons posted a 29-0 record on their way to a second consecutive NCAA championship, with Russell recording a monstrous 26-27 double-double in the title game against Iowa. Russell and Jones made the All-WCC Team, with Russ being named to the all-tournament team.
The duo made the USA team in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourn, Australia, with Russell being the team captain. The USA had the unbeaten 8-0 run, winning another gold medal after beating the Soviet Union in finals once again, behind Jones’s and Russels’s combined efforts of 29 points.
Their joint championship run continued in the NBA, as they were both drafted by the Boston Celtics. Russell became NBA’s greatest winner, lifting the trophy 11 times in his 13 years in the NBA. K.C. Jones wasn’t as big of a contributor during that historic run but did become an eight-time NBA champ, eventually being inducted to the Hall of Fame.
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Lucas started his winning run at the Ohio State University, after beating the University of California in the finals of the tournament during his freshman year. Lucas led his team to a blowout win with a 16 points performance. His play got him to the all-tournament team, along with Cinncinati’s Oscar Robertson.
Lucas was selected to the 1960 Olympics U.S. Basketball team with the likes of Jerry West and already mentioned Big O. Luke played a key role in the success of the team and helped them complete another undefeated run to capture their fifth gold medal. They did it in a dominating fashion, with an average margin of 42.4 points.
Jerry’s 12 years in the NBA were capped off with him winning his first and only NBA championship with the New York Knicks in 1973. It was his penultimate season in the league, so he didn’t play a key role in their run for the title. However, it was enough to place him on this unique list of players to win a championship on three different levels.
Quinn Buckner
Quinn Buckner may be the least known individual in this group of players. He didn’t have an elite career on any of the three levels but still managed to win all three.
His Indiana University Hoosiers had the historic title run at the collegiate level, after going undefeated in the 1976 NCAA tournament. Buckner put his imprint on Indiana’s balanced scoring performance, ensuring himself an NCAA ring, opening the door to the NBA.
Before heading to the Association, Buckner received the honor of playing for the 1976 U.S. Olympics team. He became the part of a gold-winning group in Montreal, being the USA’s fifth-leading scorer, having a solid all-around tournament.
Buckner’s NBA journey peaked in 1984, with him winning his sole NBA championship. Quinn provided a solid backup option for the C’s at the point guard position. He retired after two years, concluding a very successful basketball career on every stage.
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is one of only three players in history to have won titles at every level: high school, college, the NBA, and the Olympics, with the other two being Jerry Lucas and Quinn Buckner.
His legendary rivalry with Larry Bird began on the collegiate level; the two faced each other in the finals of the 1979 NCAA tournament. Magic was the one who came out with the ring, as his Michigan State defeated Bird’s Indiana State 75-64. It was the overture of one of the greatest individual basketball rivalries, one we would witness in the NBA for years to come.
Magic went on to have a historically great NBA career, winning five championships and becoming the greatest point guard the league has ever seen. His shortened basketball career was rounded with him winning the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics, as the part of the Dream Team, the greatest collection of basketball talent ever assembled.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan‘s winning quest began at UNC. The team led by His Airness and legendary James Worthy beat Patrick Ewing‘s Georgetown in a one-point thriller, with M.J.’s iconic game-winning mid-range shot to seal the deal.
Jordan’s legendary NBA career brought him six championships, and countless individual accolades. He also led the 1992 Dream Team to the gold medal, as the cherry on top of the iconic career of the greatest to ever lace ’em up.
“How many championships did Michael Jordan win? Breaking down his NBA Finals runs”
ESPN’s 10-part documentary, “The Last Dance,” concludes Sunday, chronicling the Chicago Bulls' dynasty in the 1990s and detailing the franchise’s NBA championship runs with Michael Jordan.
The focus is on Jordan, who pushed the Bulls to those championship runs.
The full clip from #LastDance
Michael Jordan on Leadership. pic.twitter.com/vsQJpCnhfK — Yonathan Seleshi (@yonathanseleshi) May 13, 2020
MORE: Michael Jordan’s six championship Bulls teams, ranked
How many NBA championships did Michael Jordan win?
Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA championships from 1991-98. The Bulls won three straight NBA championships from 1991-93 and three more from 1996-98.
Jordan was the NBA Finals MVP in all six NBA championship runs.
Who did Jordan’s Bulls beat in the NBA Finals?
Here is a look at the NBA Finals runs Jordan led with Chicago
1991 NBA Finals
Chicago beat the Los Angeles Lakers — led by Magic Johnson — in five games. Jordan averaged 31.2 points per game, 11.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds in the series – which he highlighted with the iconic “switch hands” layup.
1992 NBA Finals
Chicago beat Portland in six games for its second NBA championship. Jordan scored 35 of his 39 points in Game 1 – which is best remembered for “The Shrug.” Jordan averaged 35.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the series.
1993 NBA Finals
Phoenix had NBA MVP Charles Barkley, but the Bulls won the series in six games behind Jordan, who averaged 41 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the series.
1996 NBA Finals
The Bulls won 72 games in the regular season, and they beat Seattle in six games for their fourth NBA championship. Jordan led Chicago with 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists. The Bulls clinched the series on Father’s Day, which was especially meaningful for Jordan because it was first championship since his father James died.
1997 NBA Finals
The Jazz had NBA MVP Karl Malone, but the Bulls won the series in six games behind Jordan, who averaged 32.3 points, seven rebounds and six assists. This series featured the famous “Flu Game” in Game 5 where Jordan scored 38 points despite battling flu-like symptoms.
1998 NBA Finals
Jordan led the final NBA championship run that is being chronicled in “The Last Dance.” Chicago beat Utah in six games, and Jordan closed the series in Game 6 with “The Shot” over Byron Russell. Jordan averaged 33.5 points, four rebounds and 2.3 assists in the series.
MORE: Ranking Michael Jordan’s Bulls championship teammates
Could Jordan have more titles?
Jordan retired after the 1993 season and missed most of the next two seasons, and the Bulls reached the Eastern Conference semifinals each of those two seasons. Perhaps they make a deeper run with Jordan and face the Houston Rockets – who won back-to-back NBA championships in those two seasons.
The Bulls also reached the Eastern Conference finals in 1989 and 1990 before being eliminated by the eventual champion Detroit Pistons. Detroit also eliminated Chicago in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1988.
Chicago was swept in the first round by Boston in 1986 and 1987, and those Celtics teams – led by Larry Bird – reached the NBA Finals.
Those are the teams that stood in the way the most against Jordan in the postseason.
What other championships did Jordan win?
Jordan’s success wasn’t limited to the NBA. He made the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA men’s basketball national championship game.
Jordan also won gold medals in the Olympics with Team USA basketball in 1984 and 1992.
Jordan is one of seven basketball players to win a NCAA championship, gold medal and NBA championship.The others are Clyde Lovellette, Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Jerry Lucas, Quinn Buckner and Magic Johnson.
MORE: The key stats you need to know in the MJ vs. LeBron debate
Which player has the most NBA championships?
Boston’s Bill Russell has 11 championships, the most of any player in NBA history. Seven of Russell’s teammates in Boston have seven or more championships. That list includes Same Jones (10), Tom Heinsohn (9), K.C. Jones (8), Satch Sanders (8), John Havlicek (8), Jim Loscutoff (7) and Frank Ramsey (7). Bob Cousy won six championships with Boston.
There are only four players in NBA history who didn’t play for Boston who have at least six championships. Robert Horry won seven championships through his time with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs.
Jordan and Scottie Pippen won six with the Bulls, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six championships between Milwaukee and Los Angeles.
A total of 14 players have five NBA championships, including NBA legends such as Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant.
How does Jordan’s NBA Finals record compare to LeBron?
Jordan comparisons always lead to LeBron James, who has nine NBA Finals appearances and three NBA championships.
Jordan and James both have lengthy statistical resumes, but that six-championship trump card gets played the most in the debate.
James had the Lakers at the top of the Western Conference before the season was suspended because of the outbreak of COVID-19. James turns 36 in December. Jordan retired from basketball for good when he was 40 years old after two seasons with the Washington Wizards.
“LOOKBACK: Top athletes who spoke out against oppression”
From all-time greats like Michael Jordan to local stars like Chris Ross, these athletes have used their influence to spread the message of dissent against police brutality that has since claimed many innocent lives.
But as history tells us, these were not the first group of athletes to use their platform to speak out against oppression.
In fact, the world of sports has had a long history of top athletes standing their ground and speaking out against various issues stemming from oppression.
LeBron James
One of the most popular current examples of these athletes is LeBron James, who has been actively speaking out on social media against police brutality that cost the life of African-American George Floyd and hurt many other peaceful protesters.
If you still haven’t figured out why the protesting is going on. Why we’re acting as we are is because we are simply F-N tired of this treatment right here! Can we break it down for you any simpler than this right here???? . And to my people don’t worry I won’t stop until I see https://t.co/e4pJ0PvwJj — LeBron James (@KingJames) June 4, 2020
Four years earlier, James had himself been the victim of racist abuse as his Los Angeles home was vandalized with racist slurs such as the N-word.
His comments on political and social issues even caught the attention of top US network FOX News, whose reporter Laura Ingraham infamously told James last February 2018 to just “shut up and dribble.”
This comment backfired massively as it spawned an entire sub-movement that empowered athletes to speak out even more than ever.
In that same year, the Showtime network completed and aired a documentary called – what else – Shut Up And Dribble, a three-part series giving a “powerful inside look at the changing role of black athletes in today’s cultural and political environments.”
The series was met with positive reviews and currently holds an 89% rating on top critic website Rotten Tomatoes.
Colin Kaepernick
Like James, Colin Kaepernick is another present-day athlete who has been largely supported, but equally ridiculed for his political stances.
In 2016, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback gained national media attention for sitting and kneeling during the US national anthem in protest against police brutality.
This action was soon followed by many other NFL players before it was outright banned in 2018, meaning future offenders would be fined by the league.
However, the ban was lifted this year in the wake of the George Floyd protests as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted the league was “wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier.”
After Kaepernick opted to test the free agency waters in 2016, he soon found out that no other team wanted to sign him despite being statistically-proven to be a starting-caliber quarterback.
This led to Kaepernick filing a grievance against the NFL in 2017, citing collusion by team owners against him. The case went to court until Kaepernick accepted an undisclosed settlement in 2019.
Although his voice in the political arena remains as strong as ever, the 32-year-old has not been signed as an NFL player again for 4 years and counting.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Even though the present day has been extremely difficult for minorities in the US, the 1960s was just as deadly, as the African-American civil rights movement was in full swing with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X leading the way.
In the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, star sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos took it upon themselves to broadcast their fight with the whole world looking on.
After setting the then-world record in the 200-meter race and winning the gold medal, Smith took to the podium along with Carlos, who copped bronze.
As the US national anthem played in customary honor of the gold medalist, Smith and Carlos raised their black-gloved fists high with their heads bowed to symbolize the “Black Power” movement of the time.
As was the case with most civil rights protests back in the day, the gesture was largely met with criticism back home and from the International Olympic Committee.
Sportswriter Brent Musburger described Smith and Carlos as “a couple of black-skinned storm troopers” who were “ignoble,” “juvenile,” and “unimaginative.” The IOC, meanwhile, expelled the two medalists from that year’s Games.
Public reception, however, gradually shifted in their favor as the decades passed.
In 1999, Smith was awarded the California Black Sportsman of the Millennium Award while he and Carlos received an Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2008 ESPY Awards.
Bill Russell
Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell holds the distinction of winning 11 NBA championships in just 13 years, a record that will likely go down unbroken in history.
However, as Russell was busy winning titles with the Boston Celtics, he was not winning many hearts outside the hardwood, simply due to the color of his skin.
In an article by The Undefeated, Russell endured racist abuse that never escaped him from childhood until way past his glory days.
“One could make an entire Family Feud board out of the racist insults lobbed at Russell throughout his playing career: baboon, coon, the N-word, chocolate boy, black gorilla. That type of jeering wasn’t foreign to a man born in the Deep South,” the article said.
Discriminated against by the same fans who cheered whenever his team won yet another championship, Russell developed an understandably cold shoulder for them as he refused to sign autographs and “misrepresent himself.”
“I refuse to smile and be nice to the kiddies. I don’t think it is incumbent upon me to set a good example for anybody’s kids but my own,” Russell said.
In response, the FBI opened a file on the basketball superstar, calling him “an arrogant Negro.” Vandals also broke into his home, defecated on his bed, destroyed his trophies, and spray-painted the N-word on his walls.
Despite this, Russell never stayed silent and fought for his rights alongside fellow all-time great black athletes like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, footballer Jim Brown and most notably, the next person on the list.
Muhammad Ali
Last but not the least, “The Greatest.”
Boxing icon Muhammad Ali became inarguably the loudest voice the black sports community had at the height of the civil rights movement in the US.
Like his personality inside the square ring, Ali floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee against anyone and everyone who tried to hold him down for what he stood for, especially his own countrymen.
In 1966, as the US was preparing for the Vietnam War, Ali was arrested for refusing to be drafted into the military after citing personal and religious reasons. This led to one strong statement after the other which have been ingrained in popular culture.
“War is against the teachings of the Qur’an. I’m not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don’t take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers,” Ali said.
“Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?”
Ali was soon stripped of his boxing license and missed 4 years of his prime as he took his battle to the US Supreme Court.
This act of defiance, however, inspired many other black Americans beyond what the confines of the boxing ring could ever offer.
“Ali’s actions changed my standard of what constituted an athlete’s greatness. Possessing a killer jump shot or the ability to stop on a dime was no longer enough,” wrote The New York Times columnist William Rhoden.
“What were you doing for the liberation of your people? What were you doing to help your country live up to the covenant of its founding principles?”
In the end, Ali retired not only as one of the greatest boxing champions in history, but also one of the greatest champions of black Americans’ fight for equality.
These few examples only prove one thing: athletes are not mere entertainers who play for the enjoyment of paying customers. Athletes are people, first and foremost, who also feel the same pain and oppression the common man goes through on a day-to-day basis.
Unlike the common man, however, they have the privilege of having a bigger platform where more people will likely listen to what they have to say.
These athletes have used that platform to echo important sentiments to their fellowmen. Instead of silencing them, people should simply respect their opinions and lend a hand to the fight against oppression in whatever form it may take. – Rappler.com