There was one exhibition tour that took the Celtics through the heart of Dixie. Yourself and Sam Jones were denied service at a coffee shop in a hotel in Lexington, Ky., the final stop on the tour. A similar incident had occurred at a restaurant in Marian, Indiana, two days earlier.  Please take me back to that time and tell me how you handled this difficult situation.
 
All of the black players were denied service – not just the black players for the Celtics, but also the black players for the St. Louis Hawks.  The hotel changed its stance when it discovered that we were members of the Celtics and Hawks, so this naturally begged the question concerning our status had we not been professional athletes.  That scenario was posed to the hotel management, and their position was that we would have been denied service.  So, as ordinary citizens we were looked upon quite differently.  Based on this criteria, Bill Russell quickly decided that he would not play in the game.  The other black players on the Celtics – myself, Sam Jones, KC Jones – felt the same way about the situation.  It was an easy decision to make.

Red Auerbach tried talking you into playing that exhibition game, but smartly acquiesced and drove everyone to the airport.  I think this speaks volumes about Red Auerbach the person.
 
From a management standpoint Red wanted us to play, but he understood our position on this issue and he respected us enough not to force the issue.  Red was very good with regard to how he handled situations and how he dealt with people.

In 1963, Bill Russell was asked about his decision not to play that game.  His response is pure Russell, and one of the reasons I think so highly of him.  He said:  ‘I couldn’t look my kids in the face if I had played there.  A man without integrity, belief or self-respect is not a man.  And a man who won’t express his convictions has no convictions.  I feel the best way to express my convictions is not to play.  If I can’t eat, I can’t entertain.’  This, I think, is a shining example of what made Russell a great basketball player but an even greater man.
 
I agree with your assessment, and there isn’t anything I should add to Bill’s statement.  It is eloquent, and spoken with a high degree of integrity and self-respect.

Let’s talk about the great depth on those Celtics great teams.  At one point during the dynasty, Red Auerbach could turn to his bench send in three future Hall of Fame basketball players – Sam Jones, KC Jones, and Frank Ramsey.  What can you tell me about these gentlemen?
 
The reality of the situation is that these were three outstanding basketball players, players that could have started on any NBA team.  It was a great luxury to have players of this caliber coming off the bench, because the opposition knew that there would be no letdown.  That was one of the components to the Celtics’ greatness, and a hallmark of Red’s coaching ability.  He was able to find players who possessed starting ability yet had egos that could handle a non-starting role.  Sam, KC and Frank  are great examples of this.  John Havlicek is also another prime example.