Barack Obama has paid tribute to basketball great Bill Russell, who died today, with the former president noting he 'learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life.'
President Barack Obama presents Basetball Hall of Fame member and human rights advocate Bill Russell with the 2010 Medal of Freedom. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
remembered the late basketball great Bill Russell on Sunday, noting that he "learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life."Russell also won two NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal. He served as the first Black head coach of a North American professional sports team and won two more NBA championships as coach.and sat front row as Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
"Perhaps more than anyone else, Bill knew what it took to win and what it took to lead," Obama said. "On the court, he was the greatest champion in basketball history. Off of it, he was a civil rights trailblazer — marching with Dr. King and standing with Muhammad Ali.
"Throughout his life, he forced us to confront hard truths. And on this day, there are generations of Americans who are reflecting on what he meant to them as someone who played for the essential truth that every person is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect," Biden said. "Bill Russell is one of the greatest athletes in our history — an all-time champion of champions, and a good man and great American who did everything he could to deliver the promise of America for all Americans."Axios on facebook
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