It wouldn’t be until 1993 when the ice between Russell and Chamberlain started to thaw, thanks to the emergence of a young NBA superstar named Shaquille O’Neal. My anger at him that night caused great friction between us.'” And that friction would last for nearly two-and-a-half decades. “Russell wrote in his memoir, Second Wind, ‘Wilt’s leaving was like a misspelled word at the end of a cherished book. “A wounded Wilt stopped talking to Russell for decades,” MacMullan continued. And in the inaugural episode of her podcast Icons Club, sportswriter Jackie MacMullan shared how Russell felt he was robbed of the opportunity to cement his dominance versus Chamberlain: “In a speech at the University of Wisconsin later that year, he claimed that Wilt ‘copped out’ of the game and that ‘any injury short of a broken leg or broken back isn’t good enough.’’ However, Chamberlain suffered an injury in their final battle against each other, which was Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals. And the two were quite chummy off the court, with Russell regularly going to Chamberlain’s home to spend the Thanksgiving holiday season. Yet, Russell’s Celtics regularly outperformed Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers, to the tune of 11 rings to two. At 7’1″ and a reported 275 pounds, Chamberlain was a true freak of nature, and his many feats of athleticism defied any logic. And Russell’s foil was one of the most dominant persons ever in the history of sports: Wilt Chamberlain. In any good tale, the protagonist has a foil who should be a shoo-in to win every encounter they have.
After 24 Years of Silence Towards Each Other, Bill Russell and Friend-Turned-Foe Wilt Chamberlain Mend Fences And Revive Their Friendship Once Again But if it happens, we won’t hesitate to take the same action again.” I hope we never have to go through this abuse again. We have the same rights and privileges as anyone else and deserve to be treated accordingly. Bodanza’s biography of Sam Jones, Ten Times a Champion, Russell made the following statement to reporters the next day in Boston: “We’ve got to show our disapproval of this kind of treatment, or else the status quo will prevail. By many accounts, it was the first recorded protest of its kind by a sports team.Īs detailed in Mark C. Instead, the Celtics opted to hitch a flight back to Boston, effectively canceling their game. And after Auerbach’s intervention, the hotel allegedly went back on its stance and allowed the men to eat at the café. So the four players went to Coach Red Auerbach and relayed the incident to him. Understandably upset, the men were making their way back to their rooms when they encountered fellow Celtics Russell and K.C. Sam Jones and Tom Sanders, two of Russell’s teammates, were denied service at the same café of the hotel where they were staying. In October 1961, the Celtics traveled to Lexington, Ky., for a pre-season exhibition game. Bill Russell leads a 1961 boycott to protest racial discrimination Here are four stories about the late great icon born William Felton Russell. However, there are other narratives about the giant that reveal a quiet warmth and desire for reconciliation in his personal life, too.
And it would be decades until his hardline stance towards Boston thawed some. Though he is one of Beantown’s greatest sports icons, the city was not always kind towards Russell. Russell was very well known for his sarcastic wit and steely persona.