University of Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson paid tribute to NBA legend Bill Russell, who died Sunday.
Houston Chronicle/Brett Coomer and Associated PressUniversity of Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson paid tribute to Bill Russell, saying the Hall of Famer gave his generation a "North Star to follow."
Russell, an 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics who was regarded as one of the greatest players in history, died Sunday. He was 88.
Sampson said his father, John Willie "Ned" Sampson, was a fan of the Celtics' championship teams of the 1950s and 1960s that featured Sam Jones and Russell.
"I was the same because my father was my hero," Sampson said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Later in life, Sampson recalled being able to set up a phone call between his father and Russell.
Russell, a 6-9 force who revolutionized the center position, won nine titles as a player and the final two as the first Black head coach in a major American sports league. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975.
"I could feel the excitement in my dad's voice thru the phone. A thrill to say the least," Sampson said. "Bill Russell was a generational athlete, winner and man. He gave the disenfranchised and poor a hero to pull for at a time when it was so important to have a hero that looked like them.
"Thank you Bill Russell for giving my generation a North Star to follow."
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August 01, 2022 at 04:50AM
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Houston's Kelvin Sampson: Bill Russell was a 'North Star to follow' - Houston Chronicle
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