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Boston Celtics honor late Bill Russell with special City Edition jerseys

Updated Nov. 19, 2022 1:35 p.m. ET

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The Boston Celtics are honoring the ultimate face of their storied franchise for this year's edition of their Nike City Edition jerseys.

Boston will wear jerseys that not only commemorate the late Bill Russell but were reportedly designed with his input over a year ago. Russell was the winningest player in NBA history and is also considered one of the league's greatest, with 11 championships and many other accolades to his name. He died at age 88 at his home in Mercer Island, Washington, on July 31.

Russell also became a prominent figurehead among athletes during the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century, and was one of the most prominent attendees at the time of the Cleveland Summit with Muhammad Ali in 1967. 

The legendary big man also became the first Black head coach in NBA history after Celtics coach Red Auerbach chose Russell as his replacement in 1966. Upon Russell's death, NBA commissioner Adam Silver described Russell in a statement as "the greatest champion in all team sports" and praised the way the Hall of Famer "advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice." 

Russell became an active figure in NBA circles in his later years, routinely attending games and marquee events while also forging relationships with the next generation of basketball greats. 

After the NBA Finals MVP award was named in Russell's honor in 2009, the Celtic great would be on hand at the clinching Finals game to personally present the award, starting with 2009 honoree Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell later attended one of the first Lakers home games following Bryant's death in January 2020, wearing a Bryant Lakers jersey.

Silver announced on Aug. 12 that Russell's No. 6 jersey would be retired across the entire NBA, making Russell the first NBA player to receive the honor. Current NBA players who wear the number, such as the Lakers' LeBron James, will still be allowed to wear it, but the number will never again be issued out anew.

Russell's No. 6 joins Jackie Robinson's No. 42 in Major League Baseball and Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 in the National Hockey League as the only three numbers to be retired league-wide in major North American professional sports. Additionally, every NBA jersey will have a commemorative No. 6 shoulder patch this season, and every NBA court will have a Celtics clover logo containing the No. 6 near the scorer's table.

The Celtics will wear the Russell-inspired City Edition jerseys in their season opener Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

NBA, Celtics legend Bill Russell dies at age 88 | UNDISPUTED

Boston Celtics legend and Hall of Famer Bill Russell died Sunday, at 88 years of age. Skip Bayless remembers the life and legacy of Bill Russell.

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