Boston Celtics Pay Tribute to Bill Russell with New City Edition Uniform

Forget a memorial patch; when a player of Bill Russell’s stature leaves this world, you wear a memorial uniform.

The Celtics this morning unveiled their new 2022-23 City Edition uniform (designed in collaboration with Russell himself) to pay homage to the legendary player, who died this past Summer at the age of 88. Boston will wear the uniform 11 times throughout the season (a nod to Russell’s 11 NBA championships), including for their home opener tomorrow — Tuesday, October 18th, against Philadelphia.

The uniform is a darker green than the Celtics usually wear, with the team name scripted across the front in white with gold trim. The scripted wordmark is a tribute to the awning outside Russell’s Slade’s Barbecue restaurant, which he owned in the 1960s.

Gold and black trim are at the collar and around each arm, and down the sides of the jersey and shorts are black bands incorporating eleven gold diamonds — another nod to Russell’s 11 championships. Within the black stripes on the sides are a tonal pattern based on the Celtics’ famous parquet floor.

***The Celtics wordmark was based on Slade’s Barbecue, owned by Russell in the 1960s***

In addition to the league-wide number 6 patch on the upper right corner of this jersey, Russell’s #6 is included on the waistband of the shorts in white and surrounded by eleven gold diamonds.

In August, the National Basketball Association and its Player’s Association announced that Russell’s number six would be retired league-wide, beginning with the 2022-23 season. Players who currently wear the number six can continue to do so for the remainder of their careers, but the number will no longer be issued to new players (or existing players who do not currently wear the number.)

Russell is the first player to receive this honour across the National Basketball Association. Only two other players amongst the “Big Four” North American leagues have had their numbers retired league-wide: Jackie Robinson’s #42 in Major League Baseball was retired in 1997 upon the 50th anniversary of his breaking of the colour barrier in 1947; and Wayne Gretzky’s #99 was retired by the National Hockey League in 2000, one year following his retirement from the game.

LINK: Boston Celtics logo and uniform history

“Bill Russell’s unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserve to be honoured in a unique and historic way,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at the time. “Permanently retiring his No. 6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill’s transcendent career will always be recognized.”