"Life was ruined for human rights": Bill Russell's daughter Karen reminisces 1968 Olympics protest that shook the world

Bill Russell's daughter, Karen, revisited a controversial moment during the 1968 Olympic Games. When an X (formerly Twitter) account recalled the 'Black Power Salute' in the Mexico City Olympics, Russell shared a couple of details about that moment.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two African-American athletes who won gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter running event in the 1968 Olympics, raised their closed fists with black gloves on after turning to face the US Flag while the national anthem played. In addition, Peter Norman, the silver medalist in the competition, joined Smith and Carlos in wearing human-rights badges on their jackets.

After one X user wrote that Norman gave them the black gloves, Russell clarified:

"@DrHarryAdams taught me that they only had one pair of gloves!" she wrote.

After the X user accepted the mistake, she added that Norman's action wasn't met with good eyes and that the rest of his life was 'ruined.'

"And his life was ruined for being for human rights! Very sad. I believe they built a statue for him somewhat recently?" She said.

Bill Russell was a dedicated activist. A victim of racial abuse during his NBA career, he never gave up fighting for equality.

While he was winning his last two NBA titles as an active player, Smith and Carlos protested a moment that still has not been forgotten after nearly 60 years.

Bill Russell's daughter shows support to Kamala Harris

On July 31, Russell announced a meeting with USA Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. It was also during the anniversary of her father's death that she shared her support for Harris on X.

"I’m off to a meeting with the Harris campaign! It is the LAST day of the month. Let’s finish strong! Looking forward to reading the response tweets! The @Celtics and political community have embraced me. They have uncovered gems! Thanks," Russell wrote.

"Dad stood with Ali when he refused to go to Vietnam. Modern sports needs the 1964 Civil Rights Act to survive. When I recently met with @VP Harris we discussed our love of Basketball, Sports, and Africa. Dad brought the first basketballs to Africa," she tweeted.

Karen Russell is carrying her father's legacy, reminding people of all the things he did for the black community.