Ni VT ROMANO
UMAAPAW ang pakikidalamhati at papuri kay NBA great Bill Russell, ang cornerstone ng Boston Celtics dynasty na nagwagi ng 11 NBA titles, bukod sa pagiging boses pagdating sa social justice.
Namayapa ang basketball great nitong Linggo (Lunes sa Manila), edad 88.
“Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side,” saad ng official statement ng pamilya sa social media.
Lahat ng 11 titles ni Russell sa Celtics, kasama rito ang walong sunod mula 1959 hanggang 1966, at sa kasalukuyan ang NBA Finals MVP ay isinunod sa kanyang pangalan.
Sa kanyang kapanahunan, nag-average siya ng 15.1 points at 22.5 rebounds per game. Siya rin ang mabigat na karibal ni Wilt Chamberlain noong 1960s.
Naging unang black coach din siya sa NBA at first black player nailuklok sa Basketball Hall of Fame noong 1975.
Bukod sa pagiging champion player, champion din siya sa pakikipaglaban sa civil rights.
Katunayan, tumanggap siya ng entailential Medal of Freedom, ang US’ highest civilian honor, mula kay President Barack Obama noong 2011.
PAGKILALA SA LEGACY
NG 11-TIME CHAMP
“TODAY, we lost a giant,” lahad ni former US President Obama sa Twitter. “As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher — both as a player and as a person.”
Mula kay NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, tinawag niya si Russell bilang, “the greatest champion in all of team sports.”
Binigyang diin niya ang matinding impact nito sa liga at maging sa sosyedad. “Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league.”
Naging inspirasyon din si Russell sa mga sumunod na henerasyon ng basketball. Gaya na lang ni Magic Johnson ng Los Angeles Lakers.
“He was one of the first athletes on the front line fighting for social justice, equity, equality, and civil rights,” post ni Johnson sa Twitter.
“That’s why I admired and loved him so much. Over the course of our friendship, he always reminded me about making things better in the black community.”
Si Russell ang nagbigay-daan para kilalanin ang mga black player sa liga, tulad ni Michael Jordan, na masasabing sumunod sa yapak niya bilang greatest ever NBA player.
“Russell paved the way and set an example for every black player who came into the league after him, including me. “The world has lost a legend,” komento ni Jordan, na sinegundahan ni former New York Knicks great Patrick Ewing.
Post naman ni Steph Curry ng Golden State Warriors: ”Trailblazer. Icon. Greatest Champ in basketball. Made the world on and off the court a better place. Thank you and rest easy! 11.”
Kasama sa post ni Curry ang retrato nila ni Russell habang hawak ang Larry O’Brien trophy nang magkampeon ang Warriors noong 2015.
Kasunod noon, si Curry at ang Warriors ay nagwagi pa ng tatlong kampeonato, kung saan sa pinakahuling championship kontra Celtics, first time siyang nakatanggap ng Bill Russell trophy bilang Finals MVP.
Maging si former tennis great at women’s rights activists Billie Jean King ay ibinahagi ang pagiging ‘huge influence’ ni Russell sa kanyang career.
“He was the ultimate leader, ultimate team player & ultimate champion,” pahayag ni King.
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