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NBA players react to the death of Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell
Joe Lyons is a sports writer and basketball expert for Basketball Insiders. Joe has a keen eye for the betting markets within the NBA and a great passion for the game of basketball. also been published by Nottingham Forest FC, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of other sports including soccer, horse racing darts and American football. Joe specialises in long form SEO content alongside news, tips and betting.
All posts by Joe LyonsUpdated01 Aug 2022
Bill Russell, widely known as one of the greatest winners in sporting history sadly passed away on Sunday aged 88 and tributes from across the basketball world have flooded in.
Russell’s family released a statement on Sunday on his Twitter account which has gained almost 400,00 likes in under 24 hours with fans from all across the globe paying their respects to a man who changed the game forever.
An announcement… pic.twitter.com/KMJ7pG4R5Z
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) July 31, 2022
Current Boston Celtics players Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Grant Williams chipped in with tributes on Twitter to one of the franchise’s greatest players of all time.
Thank you for everything! R.I.P Legend 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/tn2iGsArav
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) July 31, 2022
Rest In Peace 🕊thank you for paving the way and inspiring so many Today is a sad day but also great day to celebrate his legacy and what he stood for 💚 pic.twitter.com/kvDaIsjpGG
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 31, 2022
12 time @NBA All-Star
11 NBA rings
5 MVPs
No 3-point line
No social media
Just played and dominated in a day and a league that was def not soft. @celtics to the core ☘️
RIP @RealBillRussell 😢 #LEGENDARY pic.twitter.com/mG7K1AOfQq— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) July 31, 2022
R.I.P Bill Russell. You allowed me to be in the position I am in today and you changed not only the league but the world. Forever 6.
— Grant Williams (@Grant2Will) July 31, 2022
Other stars from around the league, both past and present, gave thanks to the man who paved the way for black players in the NBA after a generation of segregation.
A statement from Hornets Chairman Michael Jordan on the passing of NBA legend Bill Russell. pic.twitter.com/RdYcnuCrmb
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) July 31, 2022
My thoughts about Bill Russell passing away…. I am working on an deeper thought provoking article tonight as I process what just happened. pic.twitter.com/M69pXNkaC0
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) August 1, 2022
I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of the greatest winner the game of basketball has ever seen, a legend, hall of famer, mentor and my friend for over 30 years, Bill Russell. 💔 pic.twitter.com/iiSkVq2kdn
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 31, 2022
RIP to the Legend Bill Russell
— James Harden (@JHarden13) July 31, 2022
The NBA world will never forget Bill Russell, who will go down as one of the greatest winners in sporting history until our last day on earth – his legacy will last forever.
