Celtics Icon Bill Russell: 'Most Likely' Won't Be Enough Change After Protests

Civil rights activist and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell said Thursday that he does not believe enough change will occur following worldwide protests against racial inequality and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Russell has made his voice heard numerous times since the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man who died in Minneapolis Police custody May 25.

"

.@TheRevAl at the #GeorgeFloydMemorial “They said I only want the publicity, they are right no one ever called me to keep a secret” @NationalAction #GeorgeFloyd #Takeyourkneeoffourneck

— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) June 4, 2020"

Per Josh Campbell, Sarah Sidner and Eric Levenson of CNN.com, a white officer, Derek Chauvin, was seen kneeling on the neck of Floyd, who was handcuffed and lying down on a Minneapolis street, for nearly nine minutes.  

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers who accompanied Chauvin have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Russell's most recent tweet referenced an article written in 1963 after the ex-Boston Celtics great made a trip to Mississippi following the assassination of Medgar Evers, a civil rights activist and NAACP field secretary.

Per Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times, Russell spoke with Evers' brother, Charles, and asked what he could do to help. Charles Evers told Russell that he could hold the first-ever integrated basketball camp in Mississippi state history.

Russell did so despite receiving death threats and needing the protection of a group of black leaders called "The Deacons of Defense."

"At night, as Russell tried to sleep in an undersized bed at a local motel, Evers grabbed brief hours of sleep, sitting in a chair, pointed toward the door, a rifle resting in his lap, the last line of defense," Kelley wrote.

In 2010, Kelley spoke with Russell about his trip. The 11-time NBA champion declined to be interviewed but said that "it was just something I felt I had to do."