This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell.
The entire season has been a tribute to Russell, with all teams putting his No. 6 at midcourt and all players wearing it on their jerseys. And at Sunday’s Legends Brunch — one of the best events of All-Star weekend, not to mention one of the toughest tickets to secure — Russell was honored with remarks from Boston All-Star Jaylen Brown, former on-court rivals Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hall of Famer Grant Hill.
Hill spoke of how he had heard plenty about Russell — his commitment to social justice and civil rights, an unwillingness to be deterred by threats, and his pride in standing alongside other athletes committed to the same, everyone from Muhammad Ali to Colin Kaepernick. LeBron James always said that he wasn't chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record, so there was no sense of relief when he actually took over the top spot on the NBA points list.
Back then, he was special assistant to Commissioner David Stern. Now, Silver is the NBA Commissioner.It’s all different.
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