Russell is recalled at Legends Brunch
SALT LAKE CITY — This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell.
He was not forgotten.
The entire season has been a tribute to Russell, with all teams putting his No. 6 at midcourt and all players wearing it on their jerseys. And at Sunday’s Legends Brunch — one of the best events of All-Star weekend, not to mention one of the toughest tickets to secure — Russell was honored with remarks from Boston All-Star
Jaylen Brown, former on-court rivals Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hall of Famer
Grant Hill.
Abdul-Jabbar called Russell “my friend, my mentor, my role model.” He was 14 when he first met Russell and the initial greeting wasn’t overly friendly; the Celtics were using the gym at Power Memorial in New York, Abdul-Jabbar’s high school, for practice. Russell was reading The New York Times, and Celtics coach Red Auerbach suggested he meet the player then known as Lew Alcindor.
How Abdul-Jabbar remembered Russell’s response: “I’m not getting up to meet some kid.”
They met anyway, and became very close over the years, with Russell — notorious for disliking autographs — even signing a Celtics jersey for Abdul-Jabbar a few years ago. And that day, just as he did in that high school gym a half-century earlier, Russell called AbdulJabbar “kid.”
“There’s a whole lot more truth and love and respect for my 60-year relationship with Bill Russell,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “Not just as one of the greatest basketball players to ever live, but as the man who taught me how to be bigger as a player, and as a man.”
Erving told the story of how he played golf with Russell, and how neither was very good. Golf was an excuse to get together and tell stories, ones that often would bring Russell’s loud and distinct cackle when he found something humorous. “Everybody knew when William Felton Russell was in the room,” Erving said. “I cherish those times.”
Stars come out
As always, the stars were out for the All-Stars.
Among the many in attendance: retired skiing great Lindsey Vonn, EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winner Jennifer Hudson, actor-director Spike Lee,
retired baseball star Albert Pujols,
tennis standouts Frances Tiafoe and Naomi Osaka, snowboarding’s Shaun White and, of course, Utah Jazz greats John Stockton
and Karl Malone.
A Silver anniversary
Not only was this weekend the 30th anniversary of Utah’s first time hosting the All-Star Game, but it was also the 30th anniversary of Adam Silver’s first All-Star Game as part of the NBA.
Back then, he was special assistant to Commissioner David Stern. Now, Silver is the commissioner.
“It’s interesting to think about the contrast between then and now,” Silver said.
It’s all different. All-Star ballots were on paper then and distributed in arenas; Michael Jordan was the leading vote-getter with slightly more than 1 million votes. Voting is electronic now; LeBron James got about 8 million votes this year. There’s been about a 500% increase in the number of international players in the NBA over the last 30 years, from around 20 in 1993 to around 120 now. And no All-Star Game will mean more to a local economy than this one, Silver said, with a $280-million estimated impact from the weekend on Salt Lake City businesses.
“In terms of the magnitude of All-Star, this is our largest in our history,” he said.
All eyes on McClung
The NBA said that the video of All-Star Saturday Night — highlighted by Mac McClung’s win in the dunk contest — generated more than 520 million views in the first 12 hours following the competition. That was the most ever for an All-Star Saturday night, and the figure is going to keep rising.