Bill Russell was a groundbreaker.

When he played at USF

the conventional wisdom was

you had to stay flat

footed at all times to react quickly.

But Bill Russell left his feet.

Two NCAA championships at USF

Olympic gold medal with Team USA

11 NBA championships

with the Boston Celtics.

And the first black head coach in the NBA

As much as he did

on the basketball court,

he did even more off the court.

He spoke out against racism,

stood among giants,

even marched with Martin Luther King Jr.

He opened a racially integrated

basketball camp in Jackson,

Mississippi in 1963.

And was awarded

the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Bill Russell looked hate in the eye

and said, “without justice for all,

none of us are free.”