Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; NBA former players from left Yao Ming , Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell are honored during a timeout in the first half of the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Spurs HC Gregg Popovich on Bill Russell: 'He truly made the world a better place'

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 8/1/22

Anybody who is anybody in the NBA world had a kind word or story to share about NBA legend Bill Russell, who died on Sunday at 88 years old. One very notable name to pay his respects to Russell was San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who much like Russell, is a known winner.

Russell was a five-time league MVP, and he holds a record 11 NBA championships to his name. He also won two NCAA titles and was a prolific player-coach for the Boston Celtics.

That's a resume that's as good as it gets in the NBA, but Popovich, who has five championship rings of his own, believes Russell made just as big of an impact off the court as he did on it.

"Bill Russell's legacy will live forever. He was a remarkable force, athlete, and human," Popovich said in a statement released to Twitter. "His smile and approach were magnetic. His 11 NBA championships confirm he was the ultimate winner. Yet his most important achievements were the six decades he spent fighting tirelessly for civil rights and social change. He truly made the world a better place."

Coach Pop on the passing of NBA legend Bill Russell. pic.twitter.com/89IrDvmIqO
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) July 31, 2022

Russell's family, who announced his death via his social media accounts, also highlighted the NBA superstar's impact off the court.

"...But for all the winning, Bill's understanding of the struggle is what illuminated his life," the statement read. "From boycotting a 1961 exhibition game to unmask too-long-tolerated discrimination, to leading Mississippi's first integrated basketball camp in the combustible wake of Medgar Evans' assassination, to decades of activism ultimately recognized by his receipt of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010, Bill called out injustice with an unforgiving candor that he intended would disrupt the status quo, and what a powerful example that, though never his humble intention, will forever inspire teamwork, selflessness and thoughtful change."

Popovich undoubtedly got to know Russell well over the years, as the NBA legend was an avid fan of another legendary big man, Tim Duncan, who played in 19 NBA seasons, all with the Spurs.

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