There’s more to Bill Russell than just his eye-popping career statistics and 11 NBA championships.
Yes, the Boston Celtics legend was an absolute freak of nature on the basketball court, but his off-court life wasn’t without its challenges.
Russell was the victim of a significant amount of racism throughout his playing days. This resulted in his resentment toward not only the general public at the time, but to the city of Boston as well. Yet he never stopped fighting for equality.
The big man is known for his efforts during the Civil Rights Movement and even received the Presidential Medal Of Freedom in 2011 for everything he accomplished. Boston finally honored him with a statue on City Hall Plaza in 2013.
Russell might be known for breaking rebounding records and being part of an NBA dynasty, but his career gets far more interesting than that.