Russell’s No. 6 Being Retired Across NBA, a League First

Bill Russell, left, star of the Boston Celtics is congratulated by coach Arnold "Red" Auerbach after scoring his 10,000th point in the NBA game against the Baltimore Bullets at Boston Garden in Boston, on Dec. 12, 1964. Bill Chaplis/AP Photo

Bill Russell’s No. 6 jersey is being retired across the NBA, a first for the league.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced Thursday that the number worn by the 11-time champion, civil rights activist and person good enough to have been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach was being permanently retired by all 30 teams.