When I was a kid, I read through the part of the school library where the sports bio/memoirs were shelved. Though it was hard then to satisfy my appetite, I think now that almost all these books were just efforts to cash in on celebrity while it lasted. Since most of the "authors" probably didn't have the time or inclination to write anything, it was also a financial windfall for the sports media person who received a "with" or "as told to" credit. But two of these books made a lasting impression, one by Jackie Robinson called I Never Had It Made and the other, by Bill Russell, who died yesterday, called Go Up for Glory. As I remember them, these memoirs eschewed behind-the-scenes, locker-room revelations but did include quite a lot on the subject of race in America. Russell, for example, unless I'm remembering the episode from another source, related in his book a story about hotel accommodations when he had been selected to play in some kind of college all-star game. He called ahead to make sure there'd be no issue with him staying at the hotel—if memory serves, the game was going to be played in one of the Carolinas. The manager told "Mr Russell" that there would of course be "no problem"—most likely, arrangements had already been made. Russell, who would've been only about 20, was a little put off by what he took to be fake hospitality, and so pushed the envelope by asking whether he could also use the hotel's swimming pool. Moments of dead silence followed by, "Of course, but we'd ask that you try to be inconspicuous." Russell then observed, with a mix of glee and bitterness, that, being Black and 6-10, the chance of being "inconspicuous" at the hotel swimming pool, in Carolina in the 1950s . . . unlikely.
The Times's obit is here. In 13 professional seasons, he led the Celtics to 11 NBA championships—for purposes of comparison, Michael Jordan won 6 with the Bulls, and LeBron James has won four. Thirteen seasons is enough for the cast of supporting players to have entirely turned over: Russell was the common link between Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman and, later but repeat Celtic champions as well, Don Nelson and John Havlicek. He also won two NCAA championships at the University of San Francisco and an Olympic gold medal in 1956. Though a dominant player, he did manage to be something like inconspicuous on the court. As the obit points out, he disdained dunking and gesticulating celebrations of his prowess. Instead of spiking shots of opposing players into the fifth row of seats, resulting in an inbounds pass for the other team, he tipped them toward teammates and open spaces, causing turnovers and, often, triggering a Celtic breakout and lay-in.
His career as a citizen-activist lasted his whole life. In his prime with the Celtics, he participated in the March on Washington and was seated in the front row when King delivered his most famous speech. His outspokenness created enemies. He received threats and his home was vandalized. He was proud and at least sometimes prickly. Long after they were retired, his former teammate Bob Cousy, who's white, sent him a letter expressing regret for not having publicly taken Russell's side on civil rights issues, including one occasion when Cousy played in an exhibition game boycotted by Russell and other Black players after they'd been denied service at a hotel restaurant. The letter went unanswered, according to Cousy, until he received a phone call more than two years later. President Obama awarded Russell the Medal of Freedom. A few years later, when Trump said protesting NFL players should all be "fired," Russell, now well into his 80s, posted to Twitter a picture of himself with his medal, kneeling.
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