Boston icon Bill Russell is getting a new landmark named in his honor.
A bridge going over the Charles River and connecting Charlestown to the West End and North is being renamed the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge after the Celtics great.
The new bridge, which replaces the old North Washington Street Bridge, is set to be completed next year.
Russell, who was an 11-time champion with the Celtics, a five-time league MVP, the league’s first Black head coach and a Hall of Famer, died in 2022 and left an impact that is still felt far beyond the court.
“So we’re here for one reason: Because Bill Russell played a role in building something that we continue to believe in,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu at the unveiling ceremony for the bridge name on Monday. “Whether that’s being the center of a decade-long dynasty that has inspired generations of athletes or leading the charge for racial justice and laying the groundwork for lifting up our young people.”
Along with his dominant performance on the hardwood, Russell was known for his activism for civil rights and other causes at a time when athletes speaking out was often met with backlash. Wu mentioned how he marched with The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington, D.C., and opened the first integrated basketball camp in Mississippi.
“The intensity, the passion that he brought to the game made him a natural leader off the court, as well,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “And he showed, as we know, deep personal strength and dignity in the face of racism. He made powerful contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, he inspired millions and continues to inspire us today.”
The bridge is the latest tribute to Russell that comes to Boston. A statue of Russell outside of City Hall was unveiled in 2013.
But he famously had an at times difficult relationship with a city he once described as a “flea market of racism.”
Still, reverence for Russell has deepened in recent years, especially after he passed. The NBA Finals MVP trophy was renamed to honor Russell in 2009. That’s a trophy that current Celtics star Jaylen Brown earned in this year’s Finals — an especially fitting honor since he has looked up to Russell over the course of his career.
“Bill Russell, I think it’s very fitting that the bridge is getting named after him. Because what a bridge does is bring people together,” Brown said at the ceremony. “The leadership of sports and the role that sports [plays] in our society is bringing people together. I think that’s a part of the reason why I’ve dedicated my platform to the community, ’cause I know what a role it plays to be able to stand in rooms like this with other leadership in Boston and stand for something and be willing to collaborate in order to make this city a better place.”
Russell’s wife, Jeannine Russell, got emotional speaking during the ceremony. She said Russell would be proud to have the bridge named after him and that he never thought of his legacy being confined to a basketball court.
“Bill’s legacy is not just in the games he won, but in the bridges he built for future generations to cross,” she said. “May this bridge inspire us as my husband did to stand strong, to connect and to keep moving forward.”
