On a rainy Wednesday morning near TD Garden, Massachusetts politicians, Boston Celtics personnel, family, and friends came together to celebrate one of the franchise’s all-time greats: 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell.
The North Washington Street Bridge has officially been renamed to the William “Felton” Bill Russell Bridge in honor of Russell, and now, countless Celtics fans each year will cross that bridge on their way to TD Garden.
Russell’s family and friends gathered for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. But the celebration was ultimately about more than just the bridge — it was an opportunity to honor Russell’s legacy.
In 13 years playing for the Celtics, Bill Russell tallied an NBA-record 11 championships, 5 MVP awards, and 12 All-Star appearances. On top of his on-court accomplishments, Russell was a civil rights activist who fought tirelessly for racial equality. Shortly after his passing in 2022, the NBA retired his No. 6 jersey league-wide, making him the only player in the NBA to receive that honor.
On Wednesday, Governor Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu addressed the crowd, which included state policymakers, and dozens of members from the Celtics organization.
Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, general manager Brad Stevens, team president Rich Gotham, assistant general manager Mike Zarren, and longtime Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck were all in attendance.
“He made us better,” said Healey, a former professional basketball player in her own right. “Bill Russell’s name is synonymous with Boston and Massachusetts.”
“It’s synonymous with Boston and Massachusetts ever working to get better, to create more opportunity and in today’s world, we need his example and his legacy more than ever, with the values he taught.”
“The legacy most of all for our children and for generations to come in Boston, to know who we are, what we stand for, and what we will always be fighting for is going to be another legacy that this bridge and all the people who came together for it will make sure continues on,” Wu said.
Two of Russell’s Celtics teammates — Satch Sanders and Mal Graham —attended the ribbon-cutting, as well as former Celtic Leon Powe. Sanders, who played for the Celtics from 1960 to 1973, winning 8 championships, fondly recalled Russell’s unwavering desire to win.
Graham won two titles with the Celtics in 1968 and 1969, and retired the same year as Russell.
Bill Russell’s wife, Jeanine, and kids, Karen and Jacob Russell, sat front and center at the event. Earlier in the week, Karen Kenyatta Russell penned a column for the Boston Globe, in which she dove into Russell’s complex relationship with the city of Boston:
Bill Russell demanded fairness and respect, not only for himself but for others who were marginalized.
In doing so, he held a mirror up to the city he brought so much glory to, urging it to live up to its ideals.
That is why the bridge is such a powerful metaphor.
Bridges connect. They link communities, span divides, and carry us from one place to another.
Naming this bridge for Bill Russell reminds us of the enduring connection between a man and a city, a connection defined by triumph and tension, resilience and hope.
It calls on Boston to remember both the banners that hang in the rafters of TD Garden and the principles for which he stood.
In honoring Bill Russell, Boston honors itself.
Celtics legend Satch Sanders fondly recalled Bill Russell as a teammate
After the celebration, CelticsBlog caught up with Satch Sanders, who made the trip to Boston specifically for the ribbon-cutting. Sanders and Russell won 8 championships together, making them one of the sport’s winningest duos.
But Sanders, now 86 years old, gave all the credit to Russell, who anchored the Celtics on both ends of the floor.
“Russell was our leader, and the only thing he knew was how to win,” Sanders said. “And he made sure that we kept doing that.”
“He wanted to do the same thing every night,” Sanders said. “You know, guys want to play now, and they say they’ll do anything, but they don’t know what anything means.”
Sanders also highlighted that Russell’s impact and leadership extended off the floor, sharing that one night, in 1961, Russell and his other Black teammates were refused service at a restaurant in Marion, Indiana, just hours after they had been symbolically awarded the keys to the city by Marion’s Mayor in a ceremony earlier that day.
“We found out where the Mayor lived, and Russ took the key and gave it to the Mayor,” Sanders recalled.
Sanders said it was an easy choice to make the trip to celebrate his former teammate. He especially loves that the Bill Russell bridge is so close to where the Celtics and Bruins play: “Because Bill Russell made Boston sports. Seriously.”
Sander likened the success of the 1960s Celtics to that of boxer Muhammad Ali. Fans filled arenas all over the country to root against the Celtics.
“So many people hoped that Ali would lose because he was so cocky and so talented,” Sanders said. “And that’s the way people looked at us. Folks just wished us bad things.”
But then, he chuckled. Their wishes didn’t matter — the Celtics just kept winning.
“Because we had Russell as our leader.”
