Livescore
After Bill Russell died on July 31, 2022, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tweeted out his immediate reaction to the news, calling the NBA legend “my friend, my mentor, my role model.”
While Abdul-Jabbar and Russell grew to share the ultimate respect for each other, their relationship certainly didn’t start on a high note.
As he described in a Substack post, Abdul-Jabbar first met Russell in 1961 as a 14-year-old high school freshman. The Celtics were practicing at Power Memorial High School in New York City because it was not far from Madison Square Garden. Abdul-Jabbar’s coach introduced him to Red Auerbach, who then brought the young 7-footer over to Russell.
“I’m not getting up just to meet some kid,” Russell said.
MORE: How Russell opened doors for NBA’s Black coaches
From that point on, Russell always referred to Abdul-Jabbar as “kid” and inspired him to be the best version of himself on the court — and, more importantly, a better man and advocate for civil rights.
“He taught me, personally, that you don’t have to sacrifice what you want to say as a man from what you are invited to say as an athlete,” Abdul-Jabbar told ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “There’s room for both in your life, and you should express yourself in both ways — your profession, and then what you believe in and what is important to you as a human being and as a citizen.”
Abdul-Jabbar was already on track to be an activist before he crossed paths with Russell, but as he explained to PBS’ Walter Isaacson, Russell pushed him down that path more quickly.
Only six years after their initial conversation, Abdul-Jabbar spent time with Russell during the Cleveland Summit, which was organized by Jim Brown, one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. The summit brought prominent athletes together and addressed Muhammad Ali’s decision to not serve in the Vietnam War.
Instead of attempting to tilt Abdul-Jabbar and the other athletes toward a specific side of the argument, he took a “logical and dispassionate” approach. He simply told them to listen and understand why Ali refused to back down from his stance.
“The summit gave me a vehicle in which to express myself,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “It was the type of thing that Bill was behind throughout his career. You might have something that you’re angry about, but you can’t just express your anger.
“You have to express yourself sensibly and with the possibility of some type of resolution.”
Russell attended the Cleveland Summit. He served as a pallbearer at Jackie Robinson’s funeral. He marched with Dr. Martin Luther King. His life was filled with incredible, storybook moments.
MORE: Why Russell could have dominated any NBA era
And yet, Russell would never allow himself to believe he was bigger than those moments and the difficult fight for racial equality.
“I think he would like to be remembered as someone who was just doing what he had to do,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He dealt with the issues that crossed his path in the right way and provided an example. I think that that’s what he was all about.
“He never, ever got to the point where he felt that he was this great person that people should follow. He just did the right thing when it crossed his path and really set a great example in that manner.”
That is why Russell will continue to live on well after his death. He influenced generations of players, including some “kid” who went on to make his own massive impact.
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