Boston to rename a bridge after Celtics legend, civil rights activist Bill Russell
The North Washington Street Bridge will become the William Felton "Bill" Russell Bridge.
The city of Boston plans to immortalize Celtics legend and civil rights activist Bill Russell.
Boston announced Friday that it will rename the North Washington Street Bridge after Russell, changing it to the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge.
The bridge has been under reconstruction since 2018 and work is set be completed in the spring, according to the city. Connecting Charlestown and the North End, the bridge spans across the Charles River.
A ceremony on Oct. 21 including Russell’s widow, Jeannine, past and present Celtics players, and mayor Michelle Wu will make the renaming official.
Wu says that the renaming isn’t meant to honor his basketball legacy. Rather, the city hopes to pay tribute to his civil rights work.
“The bridge renaming will honor his dedication to civil rights and the fostering of Boston’s youth and young athletes,” Wu’s office said.
Russell was known for standing up to racism aimed toward himself and others. He staged a walkout during a game in 1961 when a coffee shop in the south refused to serve two of his Celtics teammates. Russell also marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and attended the Cleveland Summit in 1967 to show support for Muhammad Ali after the boxer refused to enter the Vietnam War draft.
Even at his peak as a wildly successful athlete in Boston, residents at the time didn’t want him living in their neighborhoods. Fans often hurled racial slurs toward him and his teammates, and they were segregated from their white counterparts at some hotels while traveling for away games.
“For decades, Bill endured insults and vandalism, but never let it stop him from speaking up for what’s right,” President Barack Obama said after Russell’s death in 2022. “I learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life.”
Obama awarded Russell with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Russell won 11 NBA championships as a Celtics player between 1956-69. His final three titles came when he was also Boston’s head coach. Russell became the first Black head coach of any major United States sport when he took the position in 1966.
Aside from his double-digit championships, he was a 12-time All-Star, five-time MVP, and has his No. 6 retired by all NBA teams. The NBA Finals MVP award is also named after Russell.
He passed away on July 31, 2022 at the age of 88.
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