Bill Russell statue in the beginning stages: “We’re going to really try to make it happen”
The Celtics have taken preliminary steps toward building a Bill Russell statue, according to the Boston Herald.
According to Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, the organization has already begun the process of getting the statue created and placed. And it didn’t hurt Tuesday when President Barack Obama, while awarding Russell the Medal of Freedom, mentioned that such a monument should be erected for future generations.
“We’ve had preliminary discussions with most of the constituencies, and the mayor (Thomas Menino) wants it to happen, President Obama wants it to happen, and,” said Pagliuca, “we’re going to really try to help make it happen.
“I think this final push from the president is great for us and great for Bill.
“We started looking at this in the last six months, and we talked to all the right people and so far all the people are very interested and very supportive. It’s been great, and hopefully something will happen very soon.”
As for whether Russell is on board, Pagliuca smiled and said, “We were hoping to surprise Bill, but maybe the president let that cat out of the bag.”
I wrote a piece about Russell deserving a statue in December. Check it out, and let’s hope this works out. If anybody deserves a statute, it’s a man who won more titles than any other human being who ever played professional team sports, a man who also stood up for everything he believed in, no matter how the general public would react.
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Celtics Blog | Jay King | February 17, 2011
Russell certainly deserves a statue that’s 20 feet tall and coated in gold. he’s done so much for not only basketball, but sports iin general. He broke racial barriers and at the same time captured the imagination of basketball fans and inspired so many people showing them they can do anything as long as they work at it.
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I really hate the word ‘try’ when this opportunity is something that should have happened long ago. Just f’in get it done and instead of saying “we’re going to try” say “where going to get it done”. After-all that’s how Mr. Russell played the game and has lived his life. He has deserved all the accolades and more so, as he has been a great friend and inspiration to many and not just in the world of hoops! The world is a much better place having him in it. Go Cs…
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I read Go Up for Glory when I was a kid. It was a life changer for me, a tribute to the idea that doing whatever you do in life with total commitment defines success.
But I’m not that enthusiastic about a statue for Russell. As far as I’m concerned, the Ted Williams statue is passable, the Auerbach statue is an eyesore (how many times has the statue of a guy on a bench been done now? When Shaq makes fun of an idea, you can be sure that it has been MASSIVELY overdone), and the Orr statue, is just plain hideous.
How much of a travesty is it that the most graceful player in the history of hockey, Bobby Orr, is represented for all time by a gargoyle, that looks like it’s falling on its ***?
It’s not just Boston that has this problem. It’s hard to find a work of public sculpture, made in the last 20 years, in a figurative vein, that isn’t just awful. There is a severe dearth of qualified sculptors. There are some potentially fantastic sculptors out there, but the ones getting all the jobs are evidently terrible. Figurative public sculpture seems to be a lost art.
If a statue of Russell is to be done, for once, PLEASE let it be done right. Doing it right means several things. It means not doing the damn thing on the cheap. Expect the statue to be EXPENSIVE. If it’s not expensive, we aren’t doing it right (un-conversely, however, doing it expensive doesn’t necessarily mean doing it right). It means hiring someone who is a brilliant artist and trusting them to do something inspired and inspiring. Consult with the professors at Boston University. BU has run perhaps the nation’s best program of figurative sculpture for decades. I’m sure they could point to any number of alumni who have the talent. Then it’s a matter of finding someone with the vision. Above all, no more sculptures based on photographs. No, no NOOOOOOO!!! If you want a photograph, it’s possible to get a photograph reproduced in permanent media, such as ceramic tiles. It can be made as big and as glorious as anyone wants, and that way of doing the job would probably be cheaper too. But if you want a statue, then it should be done based on artistic inspiration, NOT on some photo. It doesn’t even have to look like Russell. It’s a tribute to the man; doesn’t necessarily have to even be a portrait. Or it can look like him, but NOT BASED ON A PHOTO.
Better not to do it if we don’t do it right. Jeez, there are ENOUGH awful sculptural eyesores cluttering up public spaces. Do it like Russell, which means, do it right, or NOT AT ALL.
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Check out the statues of Willie Mays or Willie McCovey at my SF Giants (World Champs – waited my whole life to be able to say that) at AT&T Park in SF. Both well done. Go Cs…
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james you say youre just an angry person because of the way c’s play games against teams but i swear youre ALWAYS mad
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rondeezy…gee I thought my criticism of using the word ‘try’ wasn’t about anger but about honoring a Celtic legend with some backbone added to the statement instead of meekly suggesting they would ‘try’. How you get anger out of that is beyond me. And when exactly did I ever say “I am an angry person”? You need to read and understand better. And I thought the point of having an opinion, even if I criticize the Cs when they play lame, was my right and not subject to your approval. Go Cs…or is that too ‘angry’ for you???
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still seem a little angry.. hmm. just f’n get it done blah blah sounds a lil angry to me lol. i never said it needed my approval. just saying, youre one angry dude
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rondeezy… I think you are mistaking ‘anger’ for passion. I am all about passion for the Cs. Peace and love to all…Go Cs…
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