Bill Russell had a way to sniff out if a reporter was racist: “He took the Martini and sipped it, and he said ‘good!’ and turned it to me. He didn’t drink Martinis. That was Russell’s test. Pass the glass to a white person, see if they drink the same glass without thinking.”

34 comments

  1. Yall gotta understand this was during Jim Crow there was probably an obvious visceral reaction that he was looking for

  5. dumbasses in the comments thinking people in the 1960’s cared about the dangers of germs or alcoholism.

  7. Just to provide some historical context: drinking fountains and swimming pools weren’t desegregated until the 1964 civil rights act. Bill Russell won his first championship in 1957. So yea, I think if someone’s racist they wouldn’t be too happy sharing a cup with a black man. In fact, they would be mortified.

  9. How many of y’all were drinking in the 50s/60s when segregation around? Listen to the man’s experience instead of trying to discount it.

    Too busy arguing about that but the best part is the end! That big laugh from Russell.

  10. Wilt would just walk into white-only restaurants, sit down, and refuse to leave until he was served. You think anyone tried to make *him* leave? He’s responsible for desegregating the entire surrounding area of Kansas University.

  11. I think the way that some people are shitting on this is weird. Idk, i think there’s something quite beautiful about it. I can imagine the good feeling Bill got when the fella sipped it without thinking twice.

  14. Redditors showing their true colors. Turns out posting this clip is the modern day version of what Bill Russell did

  16. ITT: proof that the US education system has failed us these nephews don’t even know what life was like for black people here in the 50s and 60s this isn’t about germs you obtuse clowns these people were racist and refused to be near black people hence the segregated bathrooms, pools, schools, water fountains etc. Read a book you morons

  19. Birth of a Nation had a plot point revolve around how offensive it was for a mixed race man to offer a handshake to a white man. Do, yeah, this tracks.

  25. I couldn’t imagine being a larger than life black man in the 50s/60s and still be treated with disdain.

    Shoutout to all the pioneers of the civil rights era🔥🔥🔥🔥

    Edit: Bill Russell and Magic Johnson have the most infectious laughs. Hearing them laughs has me dying of laughter.

  29. The amount of people in this comment section that don’t get the context of this is very…concerning.

    Yall understand that at this time segregation was rampant right?

  30. This documentary has been so good. Highly recommend, only in episode 3 and they are only just now done with the 70s. Really really well made.

  32. Aw man this is one of those threads I gotta bookmark and come back and read thru the comments with a popcorn and drinks 🥤 🍿

  34. I’m not drinking after another person regardless, he’d have thought I was racist 🙁

    I guess germ theory wasn’t as prevalent back then though.

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