Bill Russell, Ray Allen to speak at Obama event
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
President Obama awarded Boston Celtics Hall of Fame player Bill Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Feb. 15.
The First Hoopster will get a salute tomorrow from two prominent members of the Boston Celtics family, Hall of Fame member Bill Russell and current All-Star Ray Allen, according to a top Democrat briefed on the plans.
Both will address the audience tomorrow afternoon when President Obama visits Massachusetts for a fund-raiser at the Cyclorama in Boston, said the Democrat, who requested anonymity to speak in advance of the formal announcement.
The president will then attend a smaller event at the Brookline home of advertising executive Jack Connors Jr.
Tickets for the Cyclorama event are selling for $500 for "supporters," $1,000 for "friends," and $10,000 for "host committee" designees. They get premium seating and a photograph with the president.
Connors's event sold out at $38,500 per couple. It alone is expected to raise about $2 million for the Obama-Biden reelection campaign.
The president will be flying to Boston from New London, Conn., where he will deliver the commencement address at the US Coast Guard Academy.
When he last visited Boston in March, Obama met privately with most of the Celtics squad during a fund-raiser at the Museum of Fine Arts. In February, he also presented Russell with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The president is a regular player who makes regular use of the White House basketball court. He's also has made it a practice each spring to publicly unveil his bracket for the NCAA men's basketball championship.
His hometown Chicago Bulls are now in the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, who bounced the Celtics from the playoffs last week.
Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.
About Political Intelligence
Glen Johnson is Politics Editor at boston.com and lead blogger for "Political Intelligence." He moved to Massachusetts in the fourth grade, and has covered local, state, and national politics for over 25 years. E-mail him at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen. |
