The Celtics have announced plans to honor Bill Russell with a statue in Boston.

Russell was praised in the press release by the Celtics announcing the honor as "the greatest champion in the history of professional sports, as a national leader in human rights, and as a dedicated advocate for youth mentoring."

The project will be funded by the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation in partnership with the newly formed Bill Russell Legacy Committee. The statue will be designed by a local artist.

“I am uncomfortable with honors such as this but my years as captain of the Boston Celtics were the proudest moments of my career,” Russell said via the release. “Mayor [Thomas] Menino’s Boston has proven to be a city that embraces the diverse contributions of all its people and neighborhoods. I am thankful to the Celtics and all the contributors for the effort to create such a wonderful mentoring program.”

Many of Boston's sports legends, including Bobby Orr, Ted Williams, Red Auerbach, Doug Flutie and Harry Agganis, all have statues.