by Andrew on Sun Aug 21, 2022 11:03 pm
RIP to a true legend of the sport, and a champion for civil rights off it. To paraphrase what a lot of people said when Betty White passed away, it speaks volumes when you get to 88 years old, and it still feels too soon. I'm glad the NBA home videos I grew up watching always celebrated the history of the league, and the earlier greats like Russell, Wilt, et al.
At the risk of sounding disrespectful, I'm not completely sure about retiring his number six league-wide, for the same reasons I wasn't totally on board with suggestions to do that for Kobe after his tragic death. I'm not against it as such and I understand the reasoning, but I feel that if such gestures are in order, they should be made when the person is alive. That's the decision though and I certainly respect it, but it's food for thought. I do like that every team will be displaying a patch and court decal in tribute to him; it's certainly going to look a little strange with the Lakers of course, given their history with the Celtics!
In any case, I'm glad to see the tributes to him, and recognition of his legacy. It was a gut punch to see that news pop up on Twitter. Hopefully, we can collectively appreciate other legends while they're still around, and move away from all this "plumbers and dentists" nonsense.