The NBA and National Basketball Players Association announced on Thursday that they will honor the late Bill Russell by retiring his No. 6 jersey across the entire league.
"Bill Russell's unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserve to be honored in a unique and historic way," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Permanently retiring his No. 6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill's transcendent career will always be recognized."
MORE: How Bill Russell revolutionized defense
In addition to the jersey retirement, the league will celebrate the Celtics legend, who died at the age of 88 on July 31, by placing commemorative patches on uniforms and a clover-shaped logo with the No. 6 on each NBA court.
"This is a momentous honor reserved for one of the greatest champions to ever play the game," NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said in a statement. "Bill's actions on and off the court throughout the course of his life helped to shape generations of players for the better and for that, we are forever grateful.
"We are proud to continue the celebration of his life and legacy alongside the league."
Russell, a five-time NBA MVP, 11-time NBA champion and civil rights pioneer, joins Jackie Robinson (No. 42) and Wayne Gretzky (No. 99) as the only players to have their jersey numbers retired throughout one of the major American professional sports leagues.
NBA players who wore No. 6 last season
As part of its announcement, the NBA noted that teams will no longer be able to issue the No. 6 to their players, but any player who is currently wearing No. 6 will be able to keep it.
Here is the complete list of players who wore No. 6 during the 2021-22 season, per Basketball-Reference's uniform database:
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- Moses Brown
- Shaq Buchanan
- Alex Caruso
- Zylan Cheatham
- Gabriel Deck
- Hamidou Diallo
- David Duke Jr.
- Bryn Forbes
- Melvin Frazier
- Quentin Grimes
- Montrezl Harrell
- LeBron James
- Keon Johnson
- Kenyon Martin Jr.
- Jalen McDaniels
- Jordan McLaughlin
- Kevin Pangos
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Javonte Smart
- Lance Stephenson
- Rajon Tucker
- Luca Vildoza
- Tyrone Wallace
- Lou Williams
