During the 2022 to 2023 NBA season, every team wore a special tribute to Bill Russell. It was a small detail, but an important one.
On the right shoulder of NBA jerseys, players wore a commemorative patch with the number 6. It was the league’s way of honoring one of the most important figures in basketball history.
This was not just another jersey patch.
For collectors, it marked a unique moment in NBA history.
Bill Russell Was More Than a Basketball Legend
Bill Russell is one of the most successful players the NBA has ever seen.
He won 11 championships with the Boston Celtics and became one of the defining figures of the league’s early history. But his legacy goes far beyond basketball.
Russell was also an important civil rights figure. He used his platform during a difficult and tense period in American history and became a symbol of strength, dignity, and progress.
That is why the NBA’s tribute mattered so much.
This was not only about honoring a former player.
It was about recognizing someone whose impact reached far beyond the court.
The NBA Retired No. 6 League-Wide
In 2022, the NBA announced that Bill Russell’s No. 6 would be retired across the entire league.
That made Russell the first player in NBA history to receive that honor.
The league also added several visual tributes during the season. All NBA players wore the No. 6 commemorative patch on their jerseys. Every NBA court also displayed a clover-shaped No. 6 logo near the scorer’s table.
The Celtics had their own additional tribute, which