Magic Starting 5: NBA World Mourns Bill Russell
Start your day off with ‘Magic Starting 5,’ where we look at five of the NBA's biggest storylines for today, including what's going on with the Orlando Magic.
1. BILL RUSSELL PASSES AWAY AT 88
"We hope each of us can find a new way to act or speak up with Bill's uncompromising, dignified, and always constructive commitment to principle," the statement from Russell's family reads. "That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6."
2. 'EVERYTHING WAS WINNING WITH HIM'
"My fondest memory is how competitive he was," [former Houston Rockets coach Don] Chaney said. "Everything was winning with him. I always admired him. I do not know what he saw in me, but he put me under his wing and made sure I was guided the correct way as a rookie."
3. BILL'S BOSTON LEGACY
"Russell, long considered to have been one of the greatest athletes in Boston sports history, had the type of career success rarely enjoyed in professional sports. He won 11 titles as a player and two championships as the first Black head coach in North American pro sports. Russell is one of the few hardwood greats to have been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as both a player and as a coach."
4. BILL RUSSELL FACT OF THE DAY
Russell is often regarded as one of the greatest players in Association history, having guided the Boston Celtics to 11 championships (the last two as a player-coach) and earned 12 All-Star appearances and five Most Valuable Player Awards.
5. MAGIC FACT OF THE DAY
The Bill Russell Finals MVP award was named as such beginning in 2009, the last year the Orlando Magic were in the NBA Finals.
