Boston Celtics announce the site for Bill Russell statue – NBA Update
Perhaps the greatest champion in the history of basketball, Bill Russell, is set to get a statue in the city where he won it all. The legendary player is a revered figure in the world of basketball and in the city of Boston, where
he achieved success unmatched before or after.
On Monday, in a ceremony by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca, it was announced that the statue of the legend will be erected at City Plaza Hall.
"The mayor brought Bill here and, when they came to look at the site, literally hundreds of kids surrounded him and were taking pictures," said Pagliuca. "It was as if he was a live statue here. It's going to be very exciting."
The idea of Bill Russell to be enshrined in stone was first voiced by the President of the United States himself, Barack Obama. Obama awarded Russell with the Presidential Medal of Freedom back in February and suggested that a
statue of the great athlete should one day be built.
The mayor and Celtics ownership took the hint and immediately started planning for the statue. They raised the money for the statue through fair private fund raising and the Mayor heaped praise on the legendary player in the announcement
ceremony,
"Besides Bill Russell being the best basketball player in the city of Boston, off the court, we know him as an individual who went out to work with young people," Menino said. "When he saw a young person in trouble, he tried to
work with them and put them on the right track."
Bill Russell was a dominant centre during his years as a player and was especially known for his fierce defensive qualities and leadership. Russell was the driving force behind the most successful NBA dynasty, the Boston Celtics
and the most successful 13 years probably in any sport, when he won 11 Championships in just 13 years with the Boston Celtics, including 8 consecutive. No NBA team has won more than 3 consecutive titles since or before.
Despite all the success he brought to the city of Boston, Russell always had a tense relationship with it. He openly criticised the behaviour of the city folks and questioned them over their racist tendencies, once famously calling
Boston a "flea market of racism."
Things got so bad that Bill refused invitations to attend the ceremony of his own jersey retirement by the Celtics back in 1972.
The building of the statue though, would complete the circle of reconcilement of Russell with the city as he has already started visiting the city again and praised it for a change in attitude.
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