Bill Plaschke: Jerry West remembers Bill Russell as a 'difference maker' on par with Jackie Robinson
Los Angeles booed him. Los Angeles jeered him. Los Angeles hated him.
But, goodness, how Los Angeles respected him.
As a player Bill Russell was the 6-foot-10 stab through the Lakers heart, leading the Boston Celtics to seven NBA Finals victories over the franchise, the biggest single nemesis in their history.
As a human being, though, he was far more impactful, spending his life fighting against racism, pushing for justice, engaging in battles far greater than a basketball game.
In his later years, during his occasional visits to what was then Staples Center, Russell would receive
