The city of Boston is renaming a bridge after Celtics legend Bill Russell

Celtics

The North Washington Street Bridge becomes the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge.

The city of Boston plans to immortalize Celtics legend and civil rights activist Bill Russell.

Boston announced Friday that it will rename the North Washington Street Bridge after Russell, changing it to the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge.

According to the city, the bridge has been under reconstruction since 2018 and the work is expected to be completed in the spring. The bridge connects Charlestown and North End and spans the Charles River.

An Oct. 21 ceremony attended by Russell's widow Jeannine, former and current Celtics players and Mayor Michelle Wu will make the renaming official.

Wu says the renaming isn't meant to honor his basketball legacy. Rather, the city would like to honor his civil rights work.

“Renaming the bridge will honor his commitment to civil rights and the advancement of youth and young athletes in Boston,” Wu’s office said.

Russell was known for speaking out against racism against himself and others. During a game in 1961, he staged a walkout when a Southern cafe refused to serve two of his Celtics teammates. Russell also marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and attended the 1967 Cleveland Summit to show support for Muhammad Ali after the boxer refused to participate in the Vietnam War draft.

Even at his peak as a highly successful athlete in Boston, residents at the time didn't want him living in their neighborhood. Fans often hurled racial insults at him and his teammates, and they were separated from their white counterparts in some hotels when traveling to away games.

“Bill endured insults and vandalism for decades, but that never stopped him from standing up for what was right,” President Barack Obama said after Russell’s death in 2022. “I learned so much from the way the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life.”

Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Russell won 11 NBA championships as a Celtics player between 1956 and 1969. He won his last three titles when he was also Boston's head coach. Russell became the first black head coach of a major sport in the United States when he took the position in 1966.

In addition to his double-digit championships, he was a 12-time All-Star and five-time MVP and his No. 6 was retired by all NBA teams. The NBA Finals MVP Award is also named after Russell.

He died on July 31, 2022 at the age of 88.