Celtics honor 'true champion' Bill Russell ahead of opener

BOSTON — Ahead of the Celtics opening the 2022-23 NBA season against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night at TD Garden, the franchise celebrated the life and legacy of Bill Russell, the 11-time NBA champion and civil rights icon whose No. 6 was permanently retired by the NBA in the wake of his death this summer.

«Bill Russell was a great man,» Celtics star Jaylen Brown said as part of a pregame ceremony honoring Russell. «But what did that mean? What defined his greatness? Who he was as a mentor, a father, a member of his community, most certainly his 11 championships here in Boston, both playing and coaching.

»But, undoubtedly, Bill Russell was a great man for what and who he stood for. During the peak of racial tensions in our society, he represented a type of nobility and honor that transcended sports. The amount of respect he receives from people will live on in eternity, and I'm grateful I was able to shake his hand. He was a true champion both on and off the court, and our gratitude is endless.

«I started off saying Bill Russell was a great man. Bill Russell was the greatest of men.»

The ceremony started about 15 minutes before Tuesday night's game tipped off with a video highlighting Russell's career, followed by Brown's speech and a spoken word poem by Boston's poet laureate, Porsha Olayiwola.

A second video then played featuring not only his basketball accomplishments, but also his extensive work as a civil rights advocate, including his being given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011 — a video that played over a performance by recording artist Aloe Blacc.

Throughout the ceremony, individual spotlights shone on the No. 6 in the paint at both ends of the court — part of several