A two-part documentary on the basketball great and civil rights activist, Bill Russell, dropped on Netflix on February 8. I strongly urge readers—whether you are a basketball fan or not—to watch it. The film features interviews with NBA stars past and present, thrilling footage of NBA championship games, some of Russell’s final interviews, and excerpts from his memoirs. It tells the story of the winningest player in NBA history (with 11 championships) and someone who was dedicated to—and fearless in—fighting against the oppression of Black people and all the oppressed.
Scott Osler, a sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote that the film “presents the 6-foot-9 Russell as a giant Black middle finger waving in the face of American racism and social injustice.” Osler also said that he doesn’t think that it will be long before a teacher in Florida, Texas, or another of the “hate states” is arrested for showing the film to their students.
The film was directed by Sam Pollard, who also directed MLK/FBI and Citizen Ashe as well as episodes of the classic documentary Eyes on the Prize. Commenting on Russell’s courage, Pollard told Esquire magazine, “Your career could be killed at that time if you spoke out. And a lot of players do follow the mantra of just shut up and play. And Bill Russell didn’t. He always stood up. He always spoke out.”
Russell demanded respect and carried himself with dignity (which the all-white Boston sportswriters called arrogance) despite being subject to the most extreme humiliation: racist slurs, the N-word spraypainted on his house, break-ins and excrement smeared on his floors. In the face of all of this he always stood true to his principles and never lost his sense of joy and his famously infectious laugh.
The lessons of Russell’s life are important today as we face new earthshaking challenges and opportunities. After Russell’s death last year, revcom.us published several important articles on Russell (here, here, and reflections from Sunsara Taylor here) which readers should check out (if they haven’t already).