The National Basketball Association and the Players Association announced on Thursday that no player from this day forward among all 30 teams can be issued jersey #6 in honor of Celtics legend Bill Russell, who passed away July 31 at the age of 88.
Along with the number retirement, all clubs will also wear a commemorative patch on their right shoulder during the 2022-23 season and every court with display a shamrock shaped #6 on the sideline near the scorers table.
“Bill Russell’s unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserve to be honored in a unique and historic way,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Permanently retiring his #6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill’s transcendent career will always be recognized.” Starting with the this season, no NBA team will be allowed to issue that number to any player. Players who currently wear #6 — such as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James — may continue to do so. According to Basketball Reference, 25 players, including James, Kristaps Porzingis, Alex Caruso, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams, wore the number last season. In comparison, Major League Baseball permanently retired #42 in 1997 in honor of Jackie Robinson who broke the big league’s color barrier with the understanding that those who were wearing that number could continue to do so. Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees was the last in the majors to wear that number, doing so through his final season in 2013.The NHL, upon Wayne Gretzky’s retirement in 1999, said his #99 would be retired leaguewide in honor of that sport’s all-time scoring leader.
There have been more than 250 players in NBA history to wear a #6 jersey, and Russell is one of 12 players enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame who wore it at some point in their careers. The others: Julius Irving, Patrick Ewing, Ben Wallace, Don Barksdale, Chuck Cooper, Larry Costello, Tom Gola, Cliff Hagan, Alex Hannum, Buddy Jeanette and Neil Johnston. Nobody has worn the #6 for the Celtics since Russell’s final season in 1968-69.
