In the days after NBA legend Bill Russell died on July 31 at the age of 88, a number of people suggested that the league should retire his No. 6.
On Thursday, the NBA announced that it will do that, making Russell the first player to have his number retired leaguewide and following the precedent set by Major League Baseball when it retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 leaguewide.
The league said that those players who currently wear No. 6 will be grandfathered in. Additionally, the league said that during the 2022-23 season, players will wear a commemorative patch on the right shoulder of their jerseys and every team’s court will have a logo with the No. 6 on the sideline.
“Bill Russell’s unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserve to be honored in a unique and historic way,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
“Permanently retiring his No. 6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill’s transcendent career will always be recognized.”
Russell won 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and a gold medal in 1956, along with two national championships in college. The NBA Finals MVP award was named after him in 2009.
Off the court, Russell was active in the civil rights movement, and in 2010, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.