1961 Boston Celtics boycott

1961 protest against racial injustice August 2026 August 2023 On 17 October 1961, five African-American basketball players of the Boston Celtics and two from the St. Louis Hawks boycotted a National Basketball Association exhibition game between the teams in Lexington, Kentucky, after facing racial discrimination in the city.https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissheridan/2020/08/27/nba-boycott-is-unprecedented-but-one-almost-happened-in-1964-and-one-did-happen-in-1961/ NBA Players' Boycott Is Unprecedented, But 1961 And 1964 Offered Previews Chris Sheridan ForbesPedersen P.M. Miloch K.S. Laucella P.C. Strategic Sport Communication Human Kinetics 2007 978-0-7360-6524-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=DJOm9pVzaqAC&pg=PA318 2020-09-09 318 The game proceeded as scheduled, with the Hawks winning 128–103. Background Two black players, Sam Jones and Satch Sanders, went to a coffee shop at the Phoenix Hotel on arriving in town, where a waitress refused to serve them. "I'm sorry but we don't serve Negroes," the NBA champion Boston Celtics were told.Eisenberg John August 27, 2020 Sixty years ago, the Boston Celtics staged their own walkout over racial injustice https://www.yahoo.com/now/sixty-years-ago-the-boston-celtics-staged-their-own-walkout-over-racial-injustice-223600387.html 2022-08-01 www.yahoo.com en-US Later, Hawks player Cleo Hill was also denied service. The Celtics players informed Bill Russell of this incident, and the three along with K.C. Jones, rookie Al Butler and Hawks players Woody Sauldsberry and Hill decided to leave Kentucky in protest.Brown sizzles at Celtic slur https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106745149/ 1 August 2022 Boston Globe 18 October 1961 41 Newspapers.com Coach Red Auerbach argued the players should stay, but ultimately agreed to drive them to the airport.NBA stars bolt game https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106745392/ 1 August 2022 The San Francisco Examiner 18 October 1961 57 Newspapers.com According to the AP, the hotel manager at the time, Art Lang, said the hotel did not have “discriminatory policies,” and the refusal of service was a "misunderstanding."Clay John August 27, 2020 Boycott by NBA players brings back memory of Boston Celtics boycott in Lexington https://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sidelines-with-john-clay/article245289330.html January 20, 2025 Lexington Herald-Leader On arriving in Boston, Russell stated to the media: "Negroes are in a fight for their rights – a fight for survival in a changing world... I am with these Negroes."Goudsouzian A. Edwards H. King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution University of California Press George Gund foundation imprint in African American Studies 2011 978-0-520-26979-8 https://books.google.com/books?id=e7MwDwAAQBAJ 2020-09-09 See also Racial segregation in the United States 1965–66 Texas Western Miners men's basketball team Glory Road, 2006 film about Texas Western's win against Kentucky References Category:History of the Boston Celtics Category:St. Louis Hawks Category:Boycotts of sports events Category:Politics and sports Category:Civil rights movement protests Celtics boycott Celtics boycott Celtics boycott Celtics boycott Category:History of Lexington, Kentucky Category:Athlete activism in the United States