Bill Russell – BlackPressUSA

John Celestand and Afro publisher Dr. Toni Draper at the 2023 Black Matters Expo. John Celestand is the program director of the Knight x LMA BloomLab, a $3.2 million initiative that supports the advancement and sustainability of local Black-owned news publications. He is a former freelance sports broadcaster and writer who covered the NBA and college basketball for multiple networks such as ESPN Regional Television, SNY, and Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia. John was a member of the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship Team, playing alongside the late great Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. He currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife and son. Credit: Photo Stephen Hopkins.

Stop Asking Black Student Athletes to Fix America’s DEI Mess

THE AFRO — There is no definitive answer to this dilemma. If student-athletes covet their individual earnings and opportunities more than the collective justice for the...

Black History4 years ago

IN MEMORIAM: Oakland’s Own Bill Russell, 88, Greatest Athlete/Civil Rights Activist Ever (Part 1)

By Paul Cobb, Post News Group Publisher Bill Russell, the center of attention in professional basketball, died at 88 after becoming the most decorated athlete in...

Bill Russell wearing a Boston Celtics jacket in 1957 (Photo: John G. Zimmerman for Sports Illustrated / Wikimedia Commons)

Black History4 years ago

IN MEMORIAM: Basketball Legend Bill Russell Dies at 88

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Russell, who won 11 NBA titles as a player and two as a player-coach, died “peacefully” with his wife, Jeannine, at his side, a...

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wait in the Green Room of the White House with Sylvia Mendez and Bill Russell as recipients of the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom are introduced in the East Room, Feb. 15, 2011.

Black History4 years ago

IN MEMORIAM: NBA Icon Bill Russell Passes Away at 88

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — His passing was announced in a statement on Twitter: “But for all the winning, Bill’s understanding of the struggle is what illuminated...