The world lost a pillar in the basketball community on July 31, 2022, when Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell passed away at the age of 88.
In the days that followed, we were blessed with many wonderful stories from all corners of the sports industry, from those willing to share how Russell impacted their lives in some way.
Although his NBA career wrapped up in 1969, before many of today’s fans ever had a chance to witness the 6-foot-10 center dominate the hardwood, he clearly left a lasting legacy.
It didn’t take long for some of the best minds to come together with their own ideas on how the NBA could memorialize Russell on a bigger scale. There is the NBA Finals MVP award, which was named the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award in 2009, but still, it didn’t feel like enough for one of the best players to ever step foot on a basketball court.
Now we know more of the NBA’s plans.
According to Shams Charania, the Association is retiring Russell’s iconic No. 6 jersey, effective immediately. This means we’ll never see another player come into the league and wear the No. 6 on his back again. But it doesn’t mean you won’t still see it for a few more years.
Related: WATCH: Celtics legend Bill Russell pays tribute to Kobe Bryant
Players currently wearing No. 6 get to keep their number
While there will never be another rookie who starts their career rocking the 6 on their jersey, we’ll still see the number Russell made memorable on several occasions during the 2022-23 season.
According to Andrew Greif, players who currently wear No. 6 will be allowed to continue to do so, as a sort of grandfather clause.
The league will also add a commemorative patch to the right shoulder of all 30 NBA teams this season, with a clover-shaped logo wrapped around the No. 6 featured on all NBA courts during the 2022-23 season.
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How many players currently wear No. 6 in the NBA?
According to Basketball-Reference.com, 25 NBA players wore No. 6 during the 2021-22 season.
The most recognizable, of course, is Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, who first made the switch from No. 23 to 6 when joining the Miami Heat in 2011, due to 23 being retired by the organization out of respect for Michael Jordan.
James once again selected No. 6 at the start of the 2021-22 season, switching again from 23.
Other players who wear No. 6 include Kristaps Porzingis, Alex Caruso, Lou Williams, and Kenyon Martin Jr., to name a few.
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