Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflected on decades of friendship with ‘personal hero’ Bill Russell
"When Bill laughed, you couldn’t not laugh along."
The Red Sox defeated the Astros 3-2 on Monday night in Houston. The win moves Boston back to .500 at 52-52.
Off the field, the Red Sox made a trio of trades on Monday, including sending longtime catcher Christian Vázquez across the field to the team’s opponent that night, the Astros.
The MLB trade deadline falls today at 6 p.m. ET.
Tonight, the Red Sox play the Astros again at 8:10 p.m.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Bill Russell: Like so many across the sports world (and beyond), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shared his thoughts following the death of Celtics legend Bill Russell.
Abdul-Jabbar initially tweeted about Russell, calling him “my friend, my mentor, my role model.” In addition, he promised to write a more substantive article on his relationship with Russell.
For his Substack newsletter on Monday, Abdul-Jabbar opened up about the history between the two Hall of Fame centers in a piece titled, “The Bill Russell I Knew for 60 Years.”
The first meeting between the two occurred in 1961, when Abdul-Jabbar was 14. The Celtics practiced at Power Memorial Academy, Abdul-Jabbar’s New York City high school, prior to a game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The meeting was initially an awkward one, as Russell “snorted” that he was “not getting up just to meet some kid.”
But at the behest of Celtics coach Red Auerbach, Russell introduced himself. In retrospect, Abdul-Jabbar said the meeting “fueled” him to work even harder.
“They say you should never meet your heroes,” he wrote. “That it’s mostly disappointing, disillusioning, or disheartening. But that wasn’t my experience.”
One of the more personal anecdotes that Abdul-Jabbar shared was of working up the courage to finally ask Russell for an autograph while the two were filming a commercial together (along with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson) in 2014.
It was something Abdul-Jabbar said he’d wanted of Russell “since meeting him 53 years ago.”
Russell, who historically was never a fan of giving autographs, “gave me a long look,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote.
But eventually, the 11-time NBA champion signed the jersey he’d been handed, and Abdul-Jabbar thanked him.
“Sure, kid,” Russell said to the 67-year-old Abdul-Jabbar.
Trivia: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won NBA MVP a record six times. His first two MVP awards were given in the 1971-72 and 1973-74 seasons. Which Celtic won the award for the season in-between?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He is the most recent person to have held the title of player-coach in the NBA.
More from Boston.com:
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- 4 things to know about Tommy Pham, newest Red Sox outfielder
- Remembering Bill Russell’s broadcasting career, which had awkward moments
- Red Sox trade Christian Vázquez to Astros, pull him away from reporters mid-interview
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- ‘Way overdue’: Here’s why hundreds of readers want sports betting legalized
- Celtics reportedly add Haverhill native Noah Vonleh to training camp roster
- ‘We strive to be like Bill Russell’: Devin McCourty shared his thoughts on the Celtics legend
- Forward Bruno Caboclo, Celtics reportedly agree to training camp deal
- Patriots sign punter Jake Bailey to four-year, $13.5 million contract extension
- Former Bruins Milan Lucic, Torey Krug reunite with teammates at Tuukka Rask’s wedding
- Brittney Griner back in Russian court on cannabis charge
- COVID-19 vaccinations add new twist to MLB trade deadline
Cap relief: Following Monday’s announcement that the Patriots gave punter Jake Bailey a contract extension, some of the cap-specific details have emerged.
A surreal scene: Christian Vázquez was pulled away from reporters shortly after learning that he’d been traded from the Red Sox in one dugout to the Astros in another.
On this day: In 1971, then-relief pitcher Bill Lee came on in the first inning of a game against the Orioles after Red Sox starter Luis Tiant struggled early (surrendering four runs — two home runs — and getting just two outs before being pulled).
Lee, tasked with the unenviable role of long-relief, performed admirably. He allowed just three Baltimore baserunners for the remainder of the game, shutting down the Orioles and giving his Boston teammates a chance to rally.
It was actually Lee himself who got the rally started in the top of the second, bunting for a single and plating Boston catcher Bob Montgomery in the process. Back-to-back home runs from Reggie Smith and Carl Yastrzemski in the seventh put the Red Sox ahead for good. In the end, Boston emerged with a 7-4 win.
Daily highlight: Francisco González Metilli of Argentinian club Central Córdoba scored one of the best goals of 2022 in a 3-0 win over Rosario Central on Monday.
Trivia answer: Dave Cowens
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