“Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports.” (Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner)
When the great baseball Hall of Famer and African American icon Jackie Robinson died in 1972, his widow called Boston Celtics player Bill Russell and asked him to be a pallbearer at her husband’s funeral.
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When asked why, she responded that Russell had been Jackie Robinson’s favorite athlete.
All of the pallbearers were Jackie’s former teammates with the Brooklyn Dodgers, except for Bill Russell.
It’s likely that Bill Russell was Jackie Robinson’s favorite athlete – not because he was so athletic or talented – but because he was a champion, both on and off the playing court.
Many consider Bill Russell one of the greatest teammates of all time.