Welcome back to the Dersho, you're used to having me talk about subjects that are very

controversial, gets lots of emails, people disagree, people agree tonight.

I think I'm going to talk about something that we can all agree about.

And that is the greatness of Bill Russell, the greatest basketball player in history.

And one of the greatest people in American history, I'm wearing my Celtics t-shirt to commemorate

his long life and his too early death.

I first met Bill in 1964.

I met him through my dear friend, Red R-Back.

Red R-Back was a close friend of the judge for whom I clerked Judge David Baselon.

And when I moved to Boston, I had never been in Boston.

Red R-Back took me under his wing.

He got me season tickets, paid for them obviously, but season tickets right in the front row.

Mid-court in the Celtics, I was actually in the Boston Brewing penalty box.

That was the penalty box during the hockey games, but during the basketball games, they

were right up in the front.

I sat four rows in front of Red R-Back and we spent a lot of time talking.

And in fact, when some of the players later resigned, like retired, like Larry Bird and Bill

Russell, they would come and sit next to Red R-Back and Red Wooden by me.

Yeah, he always had four seats that were his.

So he would often invite me up.

So I got to sit next to Larry Bird.

I got to sit next to Bill Russell, John Hevelichek, Bob Coozy, all the great Celtics I got

...