Bill Russell Bridge Renaming Ceremony

Russell marched with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., opened the state's first racially integrated basketball camp in Mississippi and spoke to students in Boston protesting school segregation, Wu said.

“He was always humble and always thinking about what he could do next,” Wu said.

Gov. Maura Healey said Russell “showed strength and dignity” in the face of racism and “made strong contributions to the civil rights movement.”

“The intensity and passion he brought to the game made him a natural leader off the field,” she said.

She described Russell as a leader and role model who “taught us what it means to stand up for a cause, what it means to dedicate your life to others.”

Current Celtics star Jaylen Brown said he met Russell twice before his death. His smile “would just light up a whole room,” he remembers.

“I think the decisions we make today and tomorrow have an impact on the next generation. We're here to talk about the legacy of the great Bill Russell, not just what he accomplished on the basketball court, but also how many championships he won off the court and the things he was responsible for in the community.”

He recalled watching highlights of Russell's games as a child and remembered that the Hall of Famer was all about winning on the field and not personal statistical achievements.

Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca said when people think of civil rights advocacy, they “think of Bill Russell.”

The bridge named in Russell's honor is the North Washington Street Bridge, which connects Charlestown to the area near the arena.

A statue of Russell, who won 11 titles with the Celtics as a player and the league's first Black head coach, was unveiled in City Hall Plaza in 2013 after President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian, in 2010 Honor.

Officials said Monday that when the prospect of a statue was first mentioned to Russell, he said he would be OK with a youth mentoring program being funded in connection with it.

When Russell, who spoke publicly about the racism he endured as a Black man during his career in Boston, died in 2022 at age 88, Obama wrote on social media, “We lost a giant.”

“As great as Bill Russell was, his legacy is far greater – both as a player and as a person,” Obama said. “Perhaps more than anyone, Bill knew what it took to win and what it took to take the lead. On the court, he was the greatest champion in basketball history. Aside from that, he was a civil rights leader – he marched with Dr. King and stood at the side of Muhammad Ali.”

Obama added: “Bill endured insults and vandalism for decades, but that never stopped him from standing up for what was right. “I learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached and how he lived his life.”

This report used material from previous Globe stories.

Camilo Fonseca can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @fonseca_esq and Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports. Travis Andersen can be reached at [email protected].