[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 13, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4580-S4581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 759--HONORING BOSTON CELTICS LEGEND BILL RUSSELL, 11-
 TIME NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION CHAMPION, FIRST BLACK HEAD COACH 
   OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

  Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Ms. Warren, Ms. Hassan, and Mr. Reed) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 759

       Whereas William ``Bill'' Felton Russell was born on 
     February 12, 1934, in West Monroe, Louisiana;
       Whereas, after graduating from McClymonds High School in 
     Oakland, California, in 1952, Russell was recruited to play 
     basketball at the University of San Francisco;
       Whereas, in 2 seasons, Russell led the University of San 
     Francisco Dons men's basketball team to a combined record of 
     57-1 and 2 national championships and was named most 
     outstanding player of the 1955 National Collegiate Athletic 
     Association Basketball Tournament;
       Whereas, in the 1956 draft for the National Basketball 
     Association (commonly known as the ``NBA''), the Boston 
     Celtics acquired Russell, who the St. Louis Hawks had 
     selected with the second overall pick in the draft;
       Whereas, at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, 
     Australia, Russell was the captain of the United States Men's 
     Olympic Basketball team, averaged a team-high 14.1 points per 
     game, and led the United States to a gold medal victory over 
     the Soviet Union;
       Whereas, throughout his career in the NBA as a player and a 
     coach, Russell earned an unprecedented number of awards and 
     accolades, including--

[[Page S4581]]

       (1) a record 11 NBA championships, received in years 1957, 
     1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 
     1969;
       (2) five Most Valuable Player awards, received in years 
     1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1965;
       (3) twelve All-Star designations, received in years 1958, 
     1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 
     and 1969;
       (4) three All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards, 
     received in years 1959, 1963, and 1965; and
       (5) an NBA Lifetime Achievement Award, received in 2017;
       Whereas, in Game 7 of the 1957 NBA Finals between the 
     Celtics and the St. Louis Hawks, during the final minute of 
     regulation, Russell, who scored 19 points and had 32 
     rebounds, hit a left-handed lay-up and then chased down and 
     blocked a shot in transition, forcing the first of 2 
     overtimes;
       Whereas the Celtics won the game and championship in what 
     fellow Celtics player Tom Heinsohn called the ``greatest game 
     ever'';
       Whereas Russell was a player-coach for the Celtics from 
     1966 to 1969, making him the first Black head coach in the 
     history of the 4 major professional sports leagues;
       Whereas the strength, courage, and leadership of Russell 
     extended beyond the basketball court to the fight against 
     racism and for civil rights in the United States;
       Whereas, in 1961, Russell led his teammates in a boycott of 
     an NBA game in Lexington, Kentucky, to protest racism and 
     discrimination after a local coffee shop refused to serve 2 
     Black Celtics players;
       Whereas Russell marched with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther 
     King, Jr., during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and 
     Freedom;
       Whereas, in 1963, Russell offered support for 
     demonstrations against segregation in Boston public schools 
     and addressed Black students taking part in a sit-in;
       Whereas, on June 4, 1967, Russell took part in the 
     Cleveland Summit, where he joined other prominent Black 
     athletes to express solidarity with Muhammad Ali's decision 
     to refuse to join the Armed Forces upon being drafted to 
     fight in the Vietnam War;
       Whereas, on February 15, 2011, President Barack Obama 
     awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 
     highest civilian honor in the United States, stating that 
     ``Bill Russell, the man, is someone who stood up for the 
     rights and dignity of all men. He marched with King; he stood 
     by Ali. When a restaurant refused to serve the Black Celtics, 
     he refused to play in the scheduled game. He endured insults 
     and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the 
     teammates who he loved better players, and made possible the 
     success of so many who would follow. And I hope that one day, 
     in the streets of Boston, children will look up at a statue 
     built not only to Bill Russell the player, but Bill Russell 
     the man.'';
       Whereas, on August 11, 2022, the NBA announced that it will 
     honor the life and legacy Bill Russell by permanently 
     retiring his uniform number, 6, throughout the league, making 
     Russell the first player to have his number retired across 
     the NBA;
       Whereas Russell has earned the love, respect, admiration, 
     and gratitude of the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of 
     Massachusetts, and the United States; and
       Whereas Russell passed away on July 31, 2022, at age 88: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the legendary life of William ``Bill'' Felton 
     Russell, a giant on and off the basketball court; and
       (2) expresses sincere condolences to the family and friends 
     of Russell as the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of 
     Massachusetts, and the United States mourn with them.

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