Bill Russell Refused to Play in Indiana After Being Refused a Meal

Today’s athletes can do things that nobody would have thought possible a long time ago. They can run faster and jump higher. They can extend the prime of their careers into their 40s through nutrition and sport science. They’re also much more famous and well-paid than the athletes of yesteryear. But it wasn’t always like that, especially if they were a person of color.

While today’s athletes are able to make generational wealth for their families with practically a few seasons on their belt, none of that would have been possible without the struggles of those who came before.

Former Lakers guard Norm Nixon was on Byron Scott’s Fast Break this week, and while he said that he experienced some tough treatment when he played in the ’70s and ’80s, it still couldn’t compare to what the previous generation went through. “Most people can’t remember past next week,” Nixon said to a big laugh when asked if past players are too forgotten.

“I don’t think that’s unique to sports, it’s history in general … Part of our education as players should be sometimes you need to know the history of the game, you need to know what people went through,” he asserted.

When most people think of Bill Russell now, they think of all the rings he won with the Boston Celtics or the way he stayed close to the game even long after he retired. Nixon says those things shouldn’t replace the hardships that shaped the man.

“I knew Bill Russell very well,” he said, adding, “I saw him start talking about basketball, man, he scared me almost. When he started talking, his intensity, his body language changed. But you gotta remember what those guys were dealing with off the court.”

“They were definitely tougher than we were … We don’t know how we would have responded if we couldn’t stay in the same hotel with everybody, we couldn’t eat in restaurants, we couldn’t do the same things, so they were dealing with some dynamics and social issues that we didn’t have to deal with,” he added, wondering about dealing with racial segregation back in the day.

Nixon recalled a story of how Russell went to Indiana one time and was refused service at a restaurant because of the color of his skin. “He said, ‘I’m not playing, I’m going back to Boston.'” He wondered how many of today’s players would have reacted the same way.

Of course, there’s still racism and discrimination that today’s athletes have to deal with. It may not be as bad as what Russell and his generation faced, but it’s still a systemic problem, and it gets amplified by social media and fans feeling like athletes should be able to take abuse simply because of how much they’re paid.

Nixon mentioned Jackie Robinson and Jim Brown as athletes from other sports who overcame racial discrimination. These are all guys whose strength of character deserves to be remembered just as much as their athletic prowess. Nixon is right that today’s athletes need to be better about remembering those that came before, but fans do, too.