Reflections On Bill Russell's Life and Legacy
The Lead
Audible
3.7 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 10 August 2022
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Last week, NBA legend and civil rights activist Bill Russell passed away at age 88. In his 13 years with the Boston Celtics, the 6-foot-10 center -- who changed the way basketball was played -- won 11 NBA championships, including two while serving as a player-coach. (That also made him the first Black head coach of a professional North American sports team). But those who knew Russell admired him even more for what he did off the court, which included being a powerful voice in the civil rights movement and fighting back against ongoing racism. Today, three sportswriters and one historian join us to reflect on Russell's life and legacy.
Our guests:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey, prime members, you can listen to the lead, add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today. |
| 0:09.0 | Drilla Words is back for another season exclusively on Amazon Music. |
| 0:14.0 | We asked people to bring in three words of meaning and significance to their lives. |
| 0:19.0 | We used that as a springboard for conversation. |
| 0:21.0 | And then at the end of the show, we asked them for a word that they'd be happy never to hear again. |
| 0:26.0 | So that's Drilla Words with made John Bishop and Tony Pitts. |
| 0:30.0 | Listen to it every Friday exclusively on Amazon Music. |
| 0:41.0 | More than any athlete of his era, Bill Russell came to define the word winner. |
| 0:48.0 | Last week, one of the greatest players in NBA history, |
| 0:51.0 | and a man who changed the way basketball has played passed away. |
| 0:55.0 | In 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, he won 11 championships. |
| 1:00.0 | A record unmatched in any sport. |
| 1:02.0 | One, two while also serving as the team's coach. |
| 1:05.0 | And so happens, he also was the first African American ever to hold such a position as a coach in a major league sports team. |
| 1:15.0 | Today, three sports writers and a historian reflect on the legacy of basketball legend and civil rights icon, Bill Russell. |
| 1:23.0 | From Wondering, I'm Andre Skelto. |
| 1:25.0 | It's Wednesday, August 10th, and this is The Lead. |
| 1:36.0 | My name is Jared Weiss, and I cover the Celtics for the Athletic. |
| 1:40.0 | The most impressive thing about Bill Russell's career on the court, honestly for me, was the way he innovated. |
| 1:47.0 | He was almost like Jimmy Hendrix at a similar time in the history of his profession in that he came in at kind of right at the modernization of the sport. |
| 2:02.0 | And he was the one that I think truly ushered in that revolution. |
| 2:07.0 | What Bill Chamberlain did on the offensive end, the way he dunked the ball, the way that he leaped over everybody, Russell did that on the other side of the floor. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Audible, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Audible and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.