NBA legend Bill Russell has passed away today at the age of 88. The former Boston Celtics center had been one of the pioneers of the game of basketball. In fact, Bill Russell served as one of the earliest patrons of the NBA.

Bill Russell had accomplished a lot in his Herculean career. In fact, he secured 11 NBA championship rings, the most by any NBA player in the history of the game. Furthermore, the Celtics legend bagged five MVP awards and 12 NBA All-Star appearances.

NBA fans react to Bill Russell passing away

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the demise of the NBA legend on Twitter. Since then, NBA fans have been flooding social media with their tributes to one of the greatest beacons of the game.

It has been a while since Bill Russell retired from the game of basketball. But his influence on the game is still very much noticeable. The Boston Celtics legend redefined the craft of winning championships.

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He had bagged so many rings in his career that his name has almost become interchangeable with winning. Most notably, the NBA has appropriately named the MVP trophy of the Finals after Bill Russell.

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Meanwhile, NBA fans expressed their gratitude and reverence for the great patron of basketball on social media. Here are some of their thoughts and tributes:

Russell’s fight on and off the court

Bill Russell faced an uphill battle on his path to becoming one of the greatest basketball players ever. Simply put, Russell and his family had to endure a lot of racial and social injustice to thrive in life.

As it turns out, the 6’10” legend had to battle both on and off the court to achieve greatness. In fact, the sacrifices made by him and other contemporary players like him paved the way for the social equality we enjoy nowadays.

Russell joined the ‘Cleveland Summit’ in 1967 to support Mohammed Ali’s decision to defy the draft. Athletes like Bill Russell who protested that day helped to progress American society, culture, and politics through massive strides in the right direction.

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In retrospect, Bill Russell will always be remembered as a trailblazer and a record-breaking athlete. The ultimate champion, and a true American hero.