Bill Russell: Legend – Picture: Netflix
Netflix has set a February 2023 release date for one of its most anticipated upcoming sports documentaries that explore the life and career of the famous NBA champion, coach, and civil rights activist Bill Russell.
The documentary, now titled Bill Russell: Legend, will arrive on Netflix globally on February 8th, 2023.
It comes to Netflix almost exactly a year after Netflix initially announced it in February 2022. Back then, they provided the following synopsis for the forthcoming doc:
“The definitive bio-doc on NBA Legend Bill Russell, the greatest champion in the history of American sports, and a true Civil Rights icon. From the humblest of beginnings, Russell went on to lead each and every one of his basketball teams to Championships — two California State High School Championships, two back-to-back NCAA titles, a Gold Medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, and 11 championship titles in his thirteen-year career as a Boston Celtic (his last two as the first Black Head Coach in NBA history, while still playing for the Celtics). Bill’s story is innately and uniquely intertwined with the 75-year history of the NBA, and the story of America’s last 8 decades.”
A new synopsis can now be found on the Netflix page for the documentary:
“Winningest NBA champion and civil rights icon Bill Russell builds a larger-than-life legacy on and off the court in this biographical documentary.”
1987: Head coach Bill Russell of the Sacrament Kings (second from left) during a Kings game versus the Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Icon Sportswire)
Sam Pollard is directing Bill Russell: Legend for Netflix. Spike Lee once described Pollard as a “master filmmaker”.
Recent projects from the filmmaker include Citizen Ashe, the HBO Max documentary released in December 2021, MLK/FBI, Mr. Soul!, Black Art: In the Absence of Light, and Maynard.
Director Sam Pollard – Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images
Lawrence Gordon, Ross Greenburg, Evan Jaenichen, and Mike Richardson serve as producers on the documentary which has a TV-MA rating.
At the time of publishing, a trailer for the doc had yet to be released, and we’ll update this post as and when it gets released by Netflix.
Netflix is also currently working on a slew of other documentaries in the sports world to help them rival the likes of ESPN, which is renowned for its library of sports documentaries.
For more on what’s coming to Netflix in the United States and elsewhere in February 2023, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.
Are you looking forward to the new Bill Russell documentary coming soon to Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.
