“There are things I do here to this day that I ask myself, ‘What would Russ do?’”
— Val Ackerman, Big East commissioner and former NBA executive
“I have tremendous respect for him because of his acumen, because of his integrity, and most of all because of the kind of guy he is.”
— Rod Thorn, NBA president of basketball operations
“We developed a relationship of respect, tremendous trust, admiration and a little affection.”
— David Stern, former NBA commissioner
“Russ was one of few guys who could pull off being a tax lawyer and pull off discussing illegal defense rules with the basketball people. His combination of intellect, judgment and character made him about the most respected person there could be in his position.”
— Joel Litvin, NBA president of league operations
“To me, a lot of how we’re running the league now comes directly from Russ. Of course, David too. But I always have Russ’s voice in my head talking about ‘Respect the game. Respect the game.’ That comes from Russ.”
— Adam Silver, NBA commissioner
— Compiled by Bill King
