NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Pays Tribute To ‘Greatest Champion’ Bill Russell

There will never be another Bill Russell, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver wanted to make as much clear Sunday after the death of the Boston Celtics legend.

Russell died Sunday at the age of 88, as announced by his family.

“Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports,” Silver wrote in a statement released by the NBA. “The countless accolades that he earned for his storied career with the Boston Celtics — including a record 11 championships and five MVP awards — only begin to tell the story of Bill’s immense impact on our league and broader society.

“Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league,” Silver continued. “At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps. …”

Silver went on to refer to Russell as “basketball’s Babe Ruth” given his ability to “transcend time.”

You can read Silver’s full statement here:

Silver was among the many in the NBA community to react to the news. Current Celtics players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown also were among those to do so.