The title of “legend” gets thrown around pretty easily nowadays. Heck I probably do it, too. But in the realm of sports, it is a title that definitely fits NBA Hall of Famer, Bill Russell. An incredible athlete, the winner of 5 MVP Awards and 11 NBA championships, before becoming the greatest player/coach ever and winning 2 more, deserves the iconic status he has achieved. He also deserves the new documentary, Bill Russell: Legend, which hits Netflix next month.
Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI), the film explores more than just Bill Russell’s career, but his activism and humanitarian efforts outside of the sport.
Here’s the synopsis: The remarkable life and legacy of an NBA superstar and civil rights icon is captured in the documentary Bill Russell: Legend. This two-part film from award-winning director Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power) features the last interview with Bill prior to his passing in 2022 as well as access to his sprawling personal archives. On the court, Russell went on to lead each and every one of his basketball teams to championships — two back-to-back NCAA titles, a gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, and 11 championship titles in his thirteen-year career as a Boston Celtic (his last two as the first Black head coach in NBA history). Off the court Russell was a force in the fight for human rights — marching with Martin Luther King Jr., leading boycotts in the NBA over racist practices and speaking out against segregation — efforts which earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Narrated by actors Jeffrey Wright and Corey Stoll and featuring exclusive interviews with the icon’s family and friends as well as Steph Curry, Chris Paul, “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird, Jim Brown and more, Bill Russell: Legend illuminates the ways in which Russell stood tall in every sense of the word.
Bill Russell: Legend hits Netflix on February 8th.
