; Whereas the Celtics won the game and championship in what fellow Celtics player Tom Heinsohn called the greatest game ever ; Whereas Russell was a player-coach for the Celtics from 1966 to 1969, making him the first Black head coach in the history of the 4 major professional sports leagues; Whereas the strength, courage, and leadership of Russell extended beyond the basketball court to the fight against racism and for civil rights in the United States; Whereas, in 1961, Russell led his teammates in a boycott of an NBA game in Lexington, Kentucky, to protest racism and discrimination after a local coffee shop refused to serve 2 Black Celtics players; Whereas Russell marched with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; Whereas, in 1963, Russell offered support for demonstrations against segregation in Boston public schools and addressed Black students taking part in a sit-in; Whereas, on February 15, 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, stating that Bill Russell, the man, is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men. He marched with King; he stood by Ali. When a restaurant refused to serve the Black Celtics, he refused to play in the scheduled game. He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players, and made possible the success of so many who would follow. And I hope that one day, in the streets of Boston, children will look up at a statue built not only to Bill Russell the player, but Bill Russell the man. ; Whereas, on August 11, 2022, the NBA announced that it will honor the life and legacy Bill Russell by permanently retiring his uniform number, 6, throughout the league, making Russell the first player to have his number retired across the NBA