Celtics fans, NBA twitter show appreciation

Following the death of Bill Russell, the NBA retired the Celtics legend’s No. 6 league-wide for the first time in history.

That NBA continues to mourn the loss of Bill Russell, one of basketball’s undeniable legends, after he passed away at his home in Washington on July 31 at the age of 88. Love for the greatest winner in sports history gushed out Boston Celtics Fans and basketball fans as a collective.

But now the league has made a decision that will honor Bill Russell for as long as the league exists.

On Thursday, the league announced that Russell’s legendary No. 6 in the entire NBA would be retiring, making Russell the first player in history to receive the league-wide honor of retiring his number.

Celtics fans, NBA twitter show love to NBA for retiring Bill Russell’s number

The love shown to Russell after his death was carried further by fans across the league as they showed their appreciation and reverence for one of the all-time greats and the league for being honored in this way.

Russell’s achievements are almost unparalleled in any sport. During his illustrious career with the Celtics, he won 11 NBA championships, including three as a player-coach. He was also a five-time league MVP.

Beyond that, however, Russell’s philanthropic endeavors were seemingly endless and wonderfully impactful. So much so that he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2011.

Regarding the discontinuation of his number, it was noted that players who already wear the number 6 – notably LeBron James – have a grandfather and can continue to wear the number, but after they’ve moved on or changed their number, that will never be the case be born again.

If anyone had that honor, it was Bill Russell who deserved it.