Mon., August 1
Bill Russell's Legacy

Bill Russell's Legacy

Bill Russell stands as the most fearsome defender in Celtics history. Over the course of thirteen seasons he and the C's netted eleven championships. Add five MVP awards, twelve, twelve All-Star selections, an Olympic gold medal and Hall of Fame status and you have an idea of Bill Russell's stature in basketball. But Russell was as well known for breaking down the NBA's color barrier as for his athletics. He was the first African-American coach and the first bona fide Black NBA superstar, and his succes in the face of racial adversity in Boston and across the country was the inspration for an entire generation.

Now, after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his unwavering civil rights leadership, Bill Russell will be memorialized forever in Boston's City Hall Plaza. Today we're talking with the three finalists charged with creating this statue of Bill Russell - a fitting homage to the great legacy of #6.

We're joined by Gary Washburn - basketball writer for The Boston Globe - and by the three finalists, Fern Cunningham, Ann Hirsch and Toby Mendez.