HOUSTON – The NBA community lost a giant on Sunday after reports that Bill Russell had died were confirmed.
The basketball great, and legend who had a hand in helping win 11 championships over the past 13 years, impacted the country by large. Russell even reportedly marched with Martin Luther King Jr., supported Muhammad Ali, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
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SEE ALSO: Bill Russell, NBA great and Celtics legend, dies at 88
Read some of the social media reactions below:
Remembering a giant of the game and life, Mr. Bill Russell. 💚 pic.twitter.com/ViaNPttTwe
— NBA (@NBA) July 31, 2022
Bill Russell will always be remembered as the ultimate winner.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 31, 2022
- 2 straight NCAA Championships
- 1956 Olympic Gold Medal
- 11 NBA Championships (2 as player-coach) pic.twitter.com/jynch9jSpn
To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionize the way the game is played, and to be a societal leader all at once seems unthinkable, but that is who Bill Russell was. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/K0Ue0hKiLs
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 31, 2022
Today, we lost a giant.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 31, 2022
As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher—both as a player and as a person.
Bill Russell was a legendary player and coach, and an even better person. He approached everything he did with determination, principle, and wisdom. I will always be grateful for the chance to call him my friend. pic.twitter.com/CmMVzLJUJJ
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) July 31, 2022
A champion who revolutionized the game for all of us. Bill Russell was an inspiration to me in so many ways. May he Rest in Power.
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) July 31, 2022
My deepest condolences to the family, loved ones and the @NBA community on the loss of the greatest champion we’ve ever known: BILL RUSSELL. An activist, a pioneer, a humanitarian. He made the world better for us all.#RIPCHAMPION
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 31, 2022
Man… Bill Russell.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 31, 2022
One of the most important athletes who ever lived. And one of the greatest. RIP.
Legends are forever.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) July 31, 2022
RIP Bill Russell, truly a titan of our game. pic.twitter.com/EKpLABwzmT
Bill Russell, 11-time NBA champion and Boston Celtics legend, has died at the age of 88. https://t.co/KwD1npbXot pic.twitter.com/JS8WJqYZym
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 31, 2022
Bill Russell was voted the greatest player in NBA history in a 1980 poll of basketball writers, and his Celtics coach Red Auerbach called him "the single most devastating force in the history of the game" when he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. https://t.co/GHeGOxkB3t pic.twitter.com/TLemjKIzKo
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 31, 2022
One of my favorite Bill Russell moments… RIP Legend 💔pic.twitter.com/A7VBRpjUZ0
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) July 31, 2022
Bill Russell, who spent many of his formative years in the Bay Area, was a true giant in the game of basketball, and more importantly, in the game of life.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 31, 2022
While the accolades on the court were immense, it was his overall impact as a pioneer that will leave the greatest legacy. pic.twitter.com/dfWxKDPW1q
This is terrible news. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Russell once when I was a young reporter. What a gracious, funny and inspiring person. Truly a class act in every way. A humanitarian, leader and champion. https://t.co/Htnr8ePxyF
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 31, 2022