By now, most fans of the Boston Celtics know the history of legendary Boston big man Bill Russell. Twice inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — first as player, then as a head coach — those same Celtics fans may be surprised to learn that Russell was a truly extraordinary human being off the court as well as on it.
The Monroe, Louisiana native did not just grow up dealing with the racist policies and dispositions of fans for opposing teams and Boston alike in the Civil Rights era of his team’s 1960s heyday, Russell actively fought it alongside giants for that cause Martin Luther King and John Lewis.
To that end, Russell was interviewed for the US Library of Congress’ Civil Rights history project in 2013, documenting his contributions to society and his country off the court in the fight against systemic racism still underway by Celtics alumni today.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!