Bill Russell

With a spotlight shining on the retired No. 6 hanging from the TD Garden rafters, the Celtics on Tuesday night had a ceremony honoring legendary center Bill ...

Later in the night, the Celtics were expected to present the Bill Russell Mentoring Award to David Shapiro and his mentee, Keontai Robinson. “I think his legacy on the court and there’s a legacy off the court for what he fought for, and for how he represented the Celtics. “He means more than basketball,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said before the game. “Bill Russell was a great man, but what did that mean?” Brown said. Then Celtics forward Jaylen Brown took a microphone, paused with his head down, and gave a brief speech. With a spotlight shining on the retired No.

Johnny Mathis could have altered NBA history before he became a singing legend. While at San Francisco State University, he introduced his friend, the late ...

He was my best friend in the world and I always wanted to please him, and God help me because he’s the reason I’m alive. He moved on and stops included a highly visible stint at MTV in the '90s. They had a rocking version of Simon and Garfunkel's “Hazy Shade of Winter” that was more than groovy. “Somebody caught me fooling around with Bill Russell showing him how to do this in the high jump.” “He loved jazz and I was a jazzer when I was young as far as music is concerned,” Mathis said. “I got news from Phil Woolpert that says if this man doesn’t leave the greatest basketball player alone I’m going to break his neck,” Mathis said. “Bill Russell was my pal,” said Mathis to the USA Today Network - New Jersey on the eve of his East Coast Voice of Romance Tour shows (he comes to the State Theatre in New Brunswick on Saturday, Oct. 6 on the sideline close to the scorer's table](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2022/08/11/bill-russell-no-6-permanently-retired-across-nba/10301336002/). 6 jersey league-wide [,](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2022/08/11/bill-russell-no-6-permanently-retired-across-nba/10301336002/) and all NBA players will wear a commemorative patch on the right shoulder of their jerseys. I had to dodge and make sure nobody saw me taking the world's best center as a basketball player and fooling around with him a high jumper when he could have fallen and broken his neck and never be heard from again.” As a high jumper, he was so good at San Francisco State that he had to make a choice — try out for the 1956 Olympics or record an album for Columbia Records. He was strictly a basketball player — the best, of course, in the world.

The Celtics honored late legend Bill Russell in a variety of ways on Tuesday, prior to their season opener against the 76ers. Earlier in the preseason, ...

And I think that’s the thing to focus on the most is everybody in our organization is trying to impact the Celtics and impact the community the way that he did. “I think there’s a legacy on the court, and there’s a legacy off the court for what he fought for, and for how he represented the Celtics. I started off by saying Bill Russell was a great man. Who he was as a mentor, a father, a member of his community, and most certainly his 11 championships here in Boston, both playing and coaching. During the racism of peak tension in our society, he represented a type of nobility and honor that transcended sports. On Tuesday, they broke out new jerseys designed in tandem with Russell himself prior to his death on July 31.

The Boston Celtics tipped off the NBA season with a win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday in their first game since Bill Russell died in July.

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As the Boston Celtics helped to officially open the NBA season in their home game at TD Garden, they began by paying tribute to the greatest player in ...

The details of the uniforms pay homage to Russell. After retiring from playing, Russell went on to coach the Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings. 'He was a true champion both on and off the floor and our gratitude is endless. The amount of respect he receives from his people will live on eternally, and I'm grateful to [have been] able to shake his hand. 'Who he was as a mentor, a father, or a member of his community. He's the only player to have this honor.

Jaylen Brown delivered a pregame speech Tuesday ahead of the Celtics' season opener.

[the Celtics delivered in the form of their 126-117 win over the Sixers](https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/10/four-takeaways-as-celtics-beat-76ers-126-117-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown-go-off.html) on Tuesday. The Celtics shied away from saying it was a statement game of any kind. Friday tip against the Heat in Miami in what is a rematch of last season’s East Finals. “It was tough to kind of find the words. There was a good reason: [Brown honored Bill Russell, the Celtics and NBA legend](https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/10/what-jayson-tatum-celtics-said-about-honoring-bill-russell-on-opening-night.html) who died earlier this year at 88. What he ended up with was a roughly 90-second speech (