{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Out & About KY Style: Bill Russell and Jim McDaniels &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Qx6An3S9Uo\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/out-about-ky-style-bill-russell-and-jim-mcdaniels\/\">Out &#038; About KY Style: Bill Russell and Jim McDaniels<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/out-about-ky-style-bill-russell-and-jim-mcdaniels\/embed\/#?secret=Qx6An3S9Uo\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Out &#038; About KY Style: Bill Russell and Jim McDaniels&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"Qx6An3S9Uo\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Gary-West-column-head-for-websocial-2.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":473,"description":"Much has been written about the passing of Bill Russell, who many consider among the best basketball players to ever play the game. With high school state championships and two NCAA titles at the University of San Francisco, the Louisiana native, was even better in leading the United States to the 1956 Olympic gold medal in Melbourne. Soon after, Russell was on his way to stardom with the Boston Celtics. And what a thirteen year career. Eleven NBA titles, twelve All-Star teams and five MVP awards, it was no wonder that in 1980 he was voted the NBA\u2019s all-time greatest player. In October 1961, as Russell began to emerge as the biggest star in the pro game, his Celtic team was set to play an exhibition game in Lexington against the St. Louis Hawks in Memorial Coliseum. That\u2019s where UK played their home games. The game was to mark a homecoming for two former Wildcats, who themselves had risen to stardom for their respective teams.\u00a0 Cliff Hagan of the Hawks and Frank Ramsey of the Celtics were just a few years removed from Lexington and\u00a0 coach Adolph Rupp.\u00a0 Local fans were more eager to see them than Russell. The Hawks also had former LSU All-American Bob Pettit who they were very familiar with. However, the game itself took a backseat to what occurred\u00a0 the morning of the game in the coffee shop of the downtown Phoenix Hotel where the two teams were staying. Two of the Black Celtics, Satch Sanders and Sam Jones, were refused service, setting off a firestorm among three other black teammates, that included Russell, K.C. Jones, and Al Butler. Russell\u2019s influence led to a boycott of the game by his black teammates as well as two from the Hawks. It was reported that Celtic Coach Red Auerbach spent two hours in an effort to turn things around before driving them to Bluegrass Airport where they flew back to Boston. Frank Ramsey, the Madisonville native and a Celtic star had been upset by what happened. \u201cNo thinking person in Kentucky is a segregationist\u201d he said, back then. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how sorry I am as a human being, as a friend of the players involved and as a resident of Kentucky, and for the embarrassment of this incident.\u201d The Phoenix hotel said it was all a misunderstanding. The game went off as promoted with the Hawks winning 128-103. Off the court Bill Russell, in 2010, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and over the years was a positive civil rights activist for all of the right reasons. With all of the accolades heaped on Russell, there was one basketball great who was not all that enamored with the former Celtic center. Jim McDaniels, the former Western Kentucky University, who many consider the greatest basketball Hilltopper ever, had two \u201cI\u2019ll never forget moments\u201d with Russell. In 2011, I, along with Lloyd \u201cPink\u201d Gardner, compiled a book about the professional ABA Kentucky Colonels basketball team.\u00a0 McDaniels, being a player for the Louisville-based team was a part of the story. In fact, one complete chapter was devoted to him. I have reprinted several paragraphs from my book as to Jim McDaniel\u2019s take on Russell.\u00a0 Keep in mind the book and McDaniel\u2019s comments were published in 2013, long before the death of Bill Russell. \u201cI was a hell of a player. I could do it all,\u201d he says. \u201cI really felt like I was on track to be one of the best players ever, even in the NBA. But, my game went south.\u201d When McDaniels arrived in Seattle Lenny Wilkens was the coach for his last 12 games of the season. McDaniels liked Wilkins and had high hopes of elevating the gaudy scoring and rebounding numbers he had brought with him from Carolina in the ABA. He hoped the next year would be a fresh start for him. The following year Bill Russell was named coach of the SuperSonics. Anyone who can spell basketball knows that Russell is often mentioned as one of the five best players to ever play the game. He had seen and done it all on the hardwood. He knew the game from every angle, a player, coach, and even a broadcaster. Plus, he was a big man, had been an inside player, and McDaniels could only guess how much he was going to develop under a man like Russell. From Russell\u2019s beginning, McDaniels felt like he never had a chance. All of the off-court financial problems with his agent, and now here was one of the greatest names in basketball, who McDaniels says was an idiot as a coach. \u201cHe completely demoralized me,\u201d he says. \u201cHe took any confidence I ever had away and totally destroyed my game. \u201cI know everything they said about Russell, but in my opinion he was not a very nice person. I know he was a great player, but I think it should be more than that,\u201d he stated. \u201cI remember after one of our games a little boy came up to him in a wheelchair. He was a paraplegic and had to talk through one of those tubes. He asked Russell for his autograph and none of us could believe it when he told the little boy he didn\u2019t sign autographs, and quickly turned his back on him. This is the kind of man Bill Russell was.\u201d Perhaps McDaniels should have known about Russell. Years before, while just an eighth grader in Scottsville he had his first encounter with the basketball legend. \u201cThe Boston Celtics were playing the Atlanta Hawks in an exhibition game in Diddle Arena,\u201d he says. \u201cA bunch of us piled in a car and went. After the game I couldn\u2019t wait to get his autograph. I went up to him and asked him for it and he said, no, and turned and walked away. I was devastated.\u00a0 And then I saw him do it again in Seattle.\u201d There was a short period of time [&hellip;]"}