On the same weekend that former Secretary of State Colin Powell pulled down his pants and took a massive shit all over Donald Trump, NBA great Bill Russell made it his personal duty to finish the job.
“#Trump you projected your narrative that #TakingAKnee is disrespectful & #UnAmerican it was never about that!” he tweeted along with a picture of him taking a knee. “You are divisive & a coward. It takes true courage 2 stand 4 what is right & risk your life in the midst of a #pandemic #Proud2kneel #BlackLivesMatter”
The 11-time NBA champion, who was by Muhammad Ali’s side when he was stripped of his heavyweight title for refusing to participate in the Vietnam War, has a lengthy history of being fearless in his pursuit of racial equality—and if you thought he’d take his foot off the gas at 86 years old, I’m gonna need you to pull out your glasses and revisit his resume.
The national anthem protests became a hot topic yet again after New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees went peak mayo and dismissed them as “disrespectful,” leading to his own teammate, All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas, clapping back with a video airing out the NFL as a staff, a label, and a motherfucking crew.
Both the NFL and Brees backpedaled in response, leading Trump to do what he does best: divide our country by sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong.
“I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag,” he tweeted. “OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high. We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!”
Unfortunately for Trump, the sports world could give a shit what he thinks. Future NFL Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson has every intention of kneeling during the national anthem this upcoming season and U.S. Soccer is reconsidering its ban on similar protests.
And, of course, there’s Bill Russell, who will remain a thorn in Trump’s ass until his dying day.
“At this time & place for any African American, @KingJames @donlemon @RepMaxineWaters @repjohnlewis & #NFL plyrs to be criticised [sic] by @realdonaldtrump means you must be doing something right!” he tweeted back in 2018. “As I have said before—Its the biggest compliment you can get.”
I couldn’t agree more.