“When we started working on this City Edition concept nearly two years ago, we were able to get input from the current team and community leaders to fully understand the magnitude of Russell’s impact,” said Nicole Federico, Boston Celtics senior vice president of marketing and content. Instead, they decided to debut the special edition design when the season starts, one of several ways in which both the team and the NBA will honor the league icon. The team initially slated the jerseys for November. Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league.”

“The countless accolades that he earned for his storied career with the Boston Celtics … only begin to tell the story of Bill’s immense impact on our league and broader society. “Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. The detailed and commemorative design honors the legacy of Bill Russell, the first Black coach in the NBA and the first Black coach to win a league championship, and his mark throughout basketball, the greater Boston area, and the league at large, and was initially conceived and created with Russell’s input before he died in July.

With a deep dark green, black paneling, and trophy gold accents throughout, Boston will debut its City Edition jersey a month ahead of the rest of the league. When the Boston Celtics take the court on Tuesday night to open their 2022-23 season, the team will don a new look hitting their storied parquet for the very first time at TD Garden.

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