Yappi
Go Buckeyes
Just three sports icons have had their jersey numbers retired leaguewide. Russell, the N.B.A.’s Boston Celtics legend, is the latest.
Seems like a nice honor but I'm not sure I get it. Jackie Robinson transcended the sport. Not enough of a hockey fan to make an argument either way about Gretzky. Just know that he is by far the most famous name from the sport.
Bill Russell, who died last month at 88, is getting a rare honor: His No. 6 will be retired, not just for his team, the Boston Celtics, but for the entire N.B.A. Among major sports, only Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 in baseball and Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99 in hockey have been retired leaguewide.
That raises some questions, which we will endeavor to answer.
What about the N.B.A. players who are currently wearing No. 6?
These players, among them LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, may continue to wear No. 6 until they retire. But no new players will be issued the number. The same rule applied when Robinson’s number was retired baseball-wide in 1997. Mariano Rivera of the Yankees was the last player still wearing No. 42 every day when he retired in 2013.
Bill Russell’s No. 6 Joins Rare Class of Retired Jersey Numbers
Just three sports icons have had their jersey numbers retired leaguewide. Russell, the N.B.A.’s Boston Celtics legend, is the latest.
www.nytimes.com
Seems like a nice honor but I'm not sure I get it. Jackie Robinson transcended the sport. Not enough of a hockey fan to make an argument either way about Gretzky. Just know that he is by far the most famous name from the sport.