Russell Statue Site Selected

File under "general interest"...

Boston City Hall Plaza chosen for Russell statue
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS, Associated Press
2 hours, 4 minutes ago


BOSTON (AP)—Boston’s City Hall Plaza has been chosen as the site for a proposed statue of Celtics basketball legend Bill Russell, Boston Mayor Tom Menino and other officials announced Monday.

Three artists were named as finalists to design the statue. They will present their designs to Russell himself and the Bill Russell Legacy Committee in the fall.

“We are proud to play a role in paying tribute to one of the greatest champions the sports world has ever seen,” said Stephen Pagliuca, Celtics co-owner and president of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation.

The committee said the site was chosen because of its location near the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall and other tourist attractions. Officials said Russell, 77, and the committee approved the site for the statute to commemorate the former Celtic as a sports champion, human rights leader and youth mentoring advocate.

The committee said it will seek private donations for the statue and will launch a public fundraising campaign in the fall to coincide with the selection of the winning design.

Russell led the Celtics to 11 league championships in 13 seasons.

President Barack Obama suggested Boston build a statue of Russell when he awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in February. Obama said he hoped one day children would look up to a statue “built not only to Bill Russell the player but Bill Russell the man.”

The announcement of the statue’s site is another episode in the once-rocky relationship between Russell and the city of Boston. During his time with the Celtics, the West Monroe, La.-born Russell often complained about the city’s treatment of people of color and once called the city a “flea market of racism.”

When the Celtics retired his No. 6 jersey in 1972, Russell refused to attend the ceremony. But in recent years, Russell has visited Boston and has praised the city for changing. In 1999, Russell attended a ceremony by the Celtics to re-retire his jersey and received a long standing ovation that brought him to tears.

I really don't know about this. It's nice that Boston is recognizing its greatest winner after all these years (and after all he had to endure while playing). But Bill Russell deserves more than some silly statue.

No offense to Red and James Michael Curley, but their statues are lame, Red's especially. What's it doing in Faneuil Hall? It should be in front of the Garden, for crying out loud. And why is Red calmly sitting on the sidelines quietly contemplating? He should be shouting vociferously and brandishing a rolled-up program.

What kind of statue would suit Bill Russell anyway? His characterictic play was the blocked shot, but to sculpt that you'd have to include the shooter and the ball, or so it seems. The only statue idea that would make any sense would be one of Bill in the moment before blocking a shot, that is, leaping straight up with his 7 foot 4 inch wingspan stretched out and his long, 11 1/2 inch hand perfectly extended. And, of course, his feet would have to be about 5 feet in the air. If somehow they could figure out how to make a statue hover 5 feet off the ground, fingertips reaching about 12 feet in the air, then they could have my approval.

Otherwise, Bill Russell deserves a living monument, something that will benefit people, something like the Reggie Lewis Center. Except, where the Reggie Lewis Center is a community center, hosting all kinds of sports events and social occasions, the Bill Russell Center could be all about basketball.

Russ learned how to play the game in such a community center and there are precious few anywhere in the Greater Boston area. Anyone who's played n a local basketball league can tell that. Is it too much to ask that, instead of doing something for appearances, we do it for real?

Here's a case of the greatest team player in any sport being singled out as an individual. I just don't know about it.

Spike

Gotta start somewhere.
He deserves this and so much more but it is a beginning.

As for what the statue should look like?

Nothing will encompass all he brought to the court no single pose could do that so I'd pick something simple such as in the photo below, Russ eyeing the shot for the potential rebound and subsequent fast break.



beat

rickdavisakaspike wrote:I really don't know about this. It's nice that Boston is recognizing its greatest winner after all these years (and after all he had to endure while playing). But Bill Russell deserves more than some silly statue.

No offense to Red and James Michael Curley, but their statues are lame, Red's especially. What's it doing in Faneuil Hall? It should be in front of the Garden, for crying out loud. And why is Red calmly sitting on the sidelines quietly contemplating? He should be shouting vociferously and brandishing a rolled-up program.

What kind of statue would suit Bill Russell anyway? His characterictic play was the blocked shot, but to sculpt that you'd have to include the shooter and the ball, or so it seems. The only statue idea that would make any sense would be one of Bill in the moment before blocking a shot, that is, leaping straight up with his 7 foot 4 inch wingspan stretched out and his long, 11 1/2 inch hand perfectly extended. And, of course, his feet would have to be about 5 feet in the air. If somehow they could figure out how to make a statue hover 5 feet off the ground, fingertips reaching about 12 feet in the air, then they could have my approval.

Otherwise, Bill Russell deserves a living monument, something that will benefit people, something like the Reggie Lewis Center. Except, where the Reggie Lewis Center is a community center, hosting all kinds of sports events and social occasions, the Bill Russell Center could be all about basketball.

Russ learned how to play the game in such a community center and there are precious few anywhere in the Greater Boston area. Anyone who's played n a local basketball league can tell that. Is it too much to ask that, instead of doing something for appearances, we do it for real?

Here's a case of the greatest team player in any sport being singled out as an individual. I just don't know about it.

First off, the Red Auerbach statue shows Red - smoking his victory cigar - he isnt quietly doing anything except basking in the glow of another victory. Completely appropriate.

As for its location, Fanuiel Hall is a place where every person that visits Boston visits, and the number of people in a given day that rub Red's head and ask their parents or friends "so who is that guy?" is tens or hundreds of thousands. So while the location isnt directly related to the Celtics - it is directly related to the history of Boston and gives Red and the Celtics much more visibility. It is much better placed there, then in some dark spot near the Garden...where no one would see it except for game days.

As for the Russell monument, #1 it is more a testament to his life as a mentor, motivator and positive agent for racial change in the city - then his basketball accolades. #2, from what I have read. it will be an area with benches and grass - for relaxing and quiet contemplation. Sounds like a PERFECT way to honor Bill Russell imo.

Personally, I don't care where the statue is placed as long as it's where many people from all walks of life and from everywhere in the world can see and appreciate it. I think the heart of Boston fits that description more than the front of Boston Garden, which tends to be frequented mainly by sports fans and people from Greater Boston.

As for the statue itself, I would be very happy if it reflected my favorite "Russell Rule," which involves "Invisible Man." The essence of the rule is that the threat of an action can often have as much impact as the action itself.

In my eyes, the enduring image of Bill Russell was his defensive stance, with his strong side paw reaching toward the roof and his weak side paw low. Crouched like a cat that could unleash its fury in a nanosecond, Russ posed a threat that disrupted as many opposing forays as his blocks did—arguably more.

So, in my humble opinion, Bill's defensive stance represents to me a melange of sinew and intellect, and that would be the most appropriate image for a statue of Bill Russell to portray.

Sam

I would love to see a statue of Bill Russell standing tall, getting ready to block a shot, arms extended.

This statue they are planning is long overdue, for a man who did more than play basketball. He was a proud man, who carried himself with dignity and honor. Being a Boston Celtic was only part of his life, being a mentor was something he was so very proud of. When they held the ceremony to re-retire his number, he showed how humbled he was by this honor. It was a wonderful evening, Russ telling us just how much he loved being a part of
basketball history, the Boston Celtics and the Mentoring program he so
lovingly gave his time to. It was an exciting night, one that I will remember forever.