The NBA – and the entire world – lost a legend this past weekend when Boston Celtics icon Bill Russell passed away at the age of 88.
Russell is easily one of the most important figures in sports history and is still considered perhaps the best to ever play basketball.
It’s hard to truly emphasize just how crucial Russell was to the sport, the league, and the people who play in it.
Commissioner Adam Silver should retire number 6 across the @NBA in honor of Bill Russell’s legacy!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 2, 2022
Since his passing, people have been wondering how the NBA will respect the late legend.
Just speaking of his accolades and accomplishments doesn’t feel like enough, the league should do even more.
Magic Johnson has a suggestion: he said that Commissioner Adam Silver should retire Russell’s number, 6, across the entire NBA.
The chances of that happening aren’t huge but it does speak to a larger point: the league needs to appreciate Russell in some large, meaningful ways in the upcoming season.
Saying Goodbye
He was a 12-time All-Star, a 5-time MVP, a 4-time rebounding champion, and a Hall of Fame inductee as well as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
But there’s more: Russell won a stunning 11 championships within 13 years – a feat that still hasn’t been surpassed by any player after him.
Russell changed the game and the way that players are viewed by the public and the way that they use their voices for true social change and equality.
In so many ways, Russell was bigger than basketball and that is why the league needs to go out of its way to pay tribute to him in massive ways.
We don’t know how Silver and the league will touch upon Russell in the season ahead.
But we do know that they will do something because Russell changed the NBA world and he deserves the best.
NEXT: The NBA Shares A Touching Bill Russell Throwback Video