Death of a Legend, RIP Bill Russell
It has already been said by a thousand chroniclers that Bill Russell was more than just a basketball player. They then go on to talk about his many hobbies and of course his long record of campaigning for civil rights. They talk about his ability to rise up above the racism and prejudices of his time and continue doing what he did. And all of these are true and speak to the life he lived but for me, at the heart of it all, Bill Russell was a good person. The world is less without him in it because he lived the way we all should , treating people the way we would like them to treat us, or our family, or our Mother.
If every policeman believed in and behaved like Bill Russell the various forces would have sky high approval ratings. We wouldn’t regularly watch policemen kill people on television with no regard for the sanctity of life. We wouldn’t be frightened when we see the flashing lights behind us pulling us over, we’d know the policeman had a legitimate concern for doing so.
If every teacher believed in and behaved like Bill Russell, a lot less kids would be bored and anxious and concerned about the school environment.
If every politician believed in and behaved like Bill Russell we wouldn’t have any wars.
If rich people believed in and behaved like Bill Russell there would be fewer children going to school hungry and minimum wage would be enough to live on.
If every parent believed in and behaved like Bill Russell, we’d have far fewer people in jail and still fewer societal problems.
He was a good man and we would all do well to emulate the way he treated others in his life.
As a basketball player, it’s sometimes difficult to understand why he isn’t considered the GOAT.
If any player currently playing had amassed 11 championship rings and 5 MVPs, little doubt they would be considered the GOAT and yet these are just two of the jewels in Bill Russell’s NBA crown. He won two more titles as player coach, he was the first black head coach in NBA history, he won an Olympic gold medal, he was selected for 12 All Star games, 21 – 0 in win or go home games and on and on.
If he was out for dinner and a fan asked for an autograph, Bill would instead ask them to sit down and talk, he didn’t believe in hero worship and would rather take the opportunity to share stories because he was no different than them.
RIP Bill. May we all take an opportunity to do a good thing in Bill’s memory.