NBA legend Bill Russell auctioning off years’ worth of memorabilia

Fans hoping to buy something from Bill Russell’s memorabilia collection should expect some big-name competition.

Hall of Famers Shaquille O’neal and Charles Barkley say they’re interested in bidding on items that Russell — a civil rights icon and the most decorated champion in team sports history — is selling off. An online auction with 429 lots began last week and will culminate in a live event at TD Garden in Boston today.

“I’d like to take some of that stuff off their hands,” O’neal said on TNT’S “Inside the NBA” on Tuesday night.“to be able to have all 11 of those rings, nobody’s outbidding me on that one.”

In fact, Russell is only selling two NBA championship rings — his first and his last — along with his Hall of Fame ring, one commemorating his two NCAA titles, another for making the NBA’S 50th anniversary team and one the league gave him for winning the most titles in professional team sports history.

Also on the block are his Olympic gold medal, his final Celtics jersey, his honorary law degree from Harvard — along with the cap and gown he wore for the ceremony — and a scrapbook page with a signed letter from Jackie Robinson thanking Russell and four Black teammates for refusing to play in a 1961 exhibition in segregated Kentucky.

“What he’s done for civil rights in this country is unmatched,” Barkley said on the broadcast. “Him and (Muhammad) Ali will always be my heroes as far as that goes. It’s easy to be a social justice guy now when you’ve got $100 million, you’re making $30-40 million a year, but those guys did all the heavy lifting back in the day.”