NUNZIUM

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced today that they will honour the life and legacy of 11-time NBA champion and civil rights pioneer William Felton Russell by permanently retiring his uniform number 6 throughout the league. The iconic Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer will be the first player to have his number retired across the NBA. Born in Louisiana in 1934, Russell's life was marked by an uphill battle against racism and controversial actions and statements in response to racism. His life was impacted by racism since he was a child. Later, his basket skills earned him a place in the Boston Celtics where he won 11 championships and became the league's first black (playing) coach, marking several NBA records. He leveraged this unique position in favour of civil rights and he was active in the Black Power movement. A prominent civil rights activist, he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, condemned racial segregation and advocated for Muhammad Ali's refusal to be drafted in the Vietnam War. Ex US president Barak Obama awarded to him the Medal of Freedom in 2011.