Bill Russell

Bill Russell, the NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years...

In 2013, a statue was unveiled on Boston's City Hall Plaza of Russell surrounded by blocks of granite with quotes on leadership and character. He earned spots on the NBA's 25th anniversary all-time team in 1970, 35th anniversary team in 1980 and 75th anniversary team. Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach so coveted Russell that he worked out a trade with the St. Louis Hawks for the second pick in the draft. The native of Louisiana also left a lasting mark as a Black athlete in a city -- and country -- where race is often a flash point. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps," Silver said. The Celtics won it all again in 1959, starting an unprecedented string of eight consecutive NBA crowns. The Celtics also picked up Tommy Heinsohn and K.C. Jones, Russell's college teammate, in the same draft. Often, that meant Wilt Chamberlain, the only player of the era who was a worthy rival for Russell. In 2009, the MVP trophy of the NBA Finals was named in his honour -- even though Russell never won it himself, because it wasn't awarded for the first time until 1969. He remains the sport's most prolific winner as a player and an archetype of selflessness who won with defence and rebounding while leaving the scoring to others. "Bill's wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you for keeping Bill in your prayers. That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6."

Bill Russell, the cornerstone of the Celtics dynasty that won eight straight titles and 11 overall during his career, died Sunday at age 88.

The team staggered to a 17-41 record, and Russell departed midseason. For a time he was paired with the equally blunt Rick Barry, and the duo provided brutally frank commentary on the game. He was overall by far the best, and that only helped bring out the best in me." "I was the villain because I was so much bigger and stronger than anyone else out there," Chamberlain told the Boston Herald in 1995. It was hailed as a sociological advance, since Russell was the first Black coach of a major league team in any sport, let alone so distinguished a team. In 2009, the MVP trophy of the NBA Finals was named in Russell's honor -- even though he never won himself, because it wasn't awarded for the first time until 1969. Our thoughts are with his family as we mourn his passing and celebrate his enormous legacy in basketball, Boston, and beyond," the Celtics said in a statement. He then led the U.S. basketball team to victory in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne, Australia. The first time I did that in a game, my coach called timeout and said, 'No good defensive player ever leaves his feet.'" "I cherished my friendship with Bill and was thrilled when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I often called him basketball's Babe Ruth for how he transcended time. And he won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics. At USF, he was a two-time All-American, won two straight NCAA championships and led the team to 55 consecutive wins.

The basketball community lost an all-time legend on Sunday as Bill Russell died at age 88, his family announced. Russell, who won a record 11 NBA titles ...

He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players and made possible the success of so many who would follow.” “Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps,” Silver said. In 10 Game 7’s, Russell was undefeated in his career. That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6.” Russell, who won a record 11 NBA titles with the Celtics, was a trailblazer as a black superstar in the 1950s and ’60s, and became the first black head coach of any North American professional team when the Celtics hired him in 1966 as a player-coach.

The NBA is mourning one of its true icons after trailblazing superstar Bill Russell died aged 88. An 11-time champion with the Boston Celtics, the Louisiana ...

In 2013, a statue was unveiled on Boston’s City Hall Plaza of Russell surrounded by blocks of granite with quotes on leadership and character. He earned spots on the NBA’s 25th anniversary all-time team in 1970, 35th anniversary team in 1980 and 75th anniversary team. Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach so coveted Russell that he worked out a trade with the St Louis Hawks for the second pick in the draft. In 2009, the MVP trophy of the NBA Finals was named in his honour - even though Russell never won it himself, because it wasn’t awarded for the first time until 1969. The Celtics won it all again in 1959, starting an unprecedented string of eight consecutive NBA crowns. Former US president Barack Obama, who awarded Russell the Medal of Freedom in 2011, said: “Today, we lost a giant. The Celtics also picked up Tommy Heinsohn and K.C. Jones, Russell’s college teammate, in the same draft. For 10 seasons he averaged more than 20 rebounds. A 6-foot-10 (208cm) centre, Russell never averaged more than 18.9 points during his 13 seasons, each year averaging more rebounds per game than points. That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved No.6.” “They said, ‘He’s no good. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that Russell was “the greatest champion in all of team sports”.

Russell, who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft, is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of team sports and a pioneer ...

Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports. - 12x NBA All-Star (1958-1969) In 1966, Russell transitioned into a player-coach role, becoming the first-ever Black coach in NBA history.

The basketball community lost an all-time legend on Sunday as Bill Russell died at age 88, his family announced.

Thank you for everything you have given to the game and all of us. He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players and made possible the success of so many who would follow.” I will forever remember his cackling laugh, sense of humor and love for the game of basketball. Bill Russell was an inspiration to me in so many ways. “This is a tremendous loss for the entire basketball world. Over the course of our friendship, he always reminded me about making things better in the Black community. Since the day we met, he mentored me and shared advice. “Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. My condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.” I looked up to him on the court and off. His success on the court was undeniable; he was dominate and great, winning 11 NBA championships. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps,” Silver said.

Known as the winningest NBA player of all time, Bill Russell also blazed trails as a civil rights advocate.

Regarded as a recluse for much of his post-retirement years, Russell did occasionally take to social media in the final stages of his life, posting about basketball and his travels. In 2009, the NBA renamed the Finals Most Valuable Player award the “Bill Russell Award,” a fitting honor for a man who went 21-0 in winner-take-all games between his collegiate, Olympic and professional careers. Russell boycotted an exhibition game in 1961 in Lexington, Kentucky after two of his teammates were denied service in a coffee shop and was a highly visible member of the Black Power movement. Even as the Vietnam War and other off-court issues compromised his attention during his last season, Russell went out on top in his final campaign, combining with John Havlicek to lead the Celtics to a seven-game NBA Finals victory over the Lakers. Russell had 26 rebounds in his last professional game, a 108-106 road victory that cemented Boston as the first team to win the NBA Finals after losing the first two games. Bitter feelings over his treatment in Boston led Russell to forgo attending his own jersey retirement in 1972 and Hall of Fame induction in 1975. The 1966 series, also against the Lakers, required seven games, and he willed the Celtics to a 95-93 victory with 25 points and a game-high 32 rebounds.

Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell was a civil rights trailblazer, before, during and after his basketball career. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of ...

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The basketball legend, who died Sunday aged 88, was doggedly committed to using his platform to amplify his political actions, setting a template for ...

During his first championship run in 1957, Russell blocked Jack Coleman in the final minute of regulation in the deciding Game 7 to keep the Celtics in the game and allow them to eventually win the title. In 1961, he boycotted a game in Kentucky after a white waitress refused to serve two of his Black teammates at a coffee shop. He was subjected to racism throughout his career, even in Boston, the city he represented for 13 years: vandals once broke into his Massachusetts home and covered the walls with racist graffiti. During his 13 seasons in the league, he led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA championships, including eight consecutive titles from 1959 to 1966. And yet, despite the outpouring of kind words in his memory, Russell may still be the most underappreciated icon in NBA history. To begin with, Russell is the winningest player in NBA history and it’s not even really close.

Properly measuring the greatness of Bill Russell, the legendary Boston Celtics center who died Sunday at the age of 88, has always been a challenge in our ...

Sportswriters jeeringly referred to him as “ Felton X” for his role in the Black Power movement, and the abuse he received from Boston fans was epitomized in 1971 when a group of burglars broke into his Massachusetts house, spray-painted racist slurs, vandalized his trophy case and defecated in his bed. He endured untold abuse from fans, journalists and basketball organizations dating back to his years at San Francisco, and he developed a reputation as a cold, aloof person — rather than a happy warrior — because of his refusal to bow to racist forces both within the NBA and broader American society. And though the NBA’s record on racial diversity in coaching lags behind its reputation, Russell’s coaching success forced white front offices to realize that Black coaches could win, opening the door for a number of legends. After teammates Satch Sanders and Sam Jones were refused service at a coffee shop in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1961, Russell joined them in a boycott of a game against the Hawks. At the University of San Francisco, Russell led a program that had been below .500 before his arrival to national championships in 1955 and 1956, earning NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in the first of those efforts and UPI Player of the Year honors in the second. Three years later, Russell was again at the center of a historic act of protest. And in Russell’s case, the championships say even more than the individual attributes. For one, Russell’s pioneering impact as a defender is still felt today, in an NBA that puts a premium on versatile and “switchable” big men. We once calculated that each of the five players who’d played for the best defenses in NBA history (relative to league average) were part of the Celtics’ dynasty, with Russell’s average team suppressing offense by a staggering 6.1 points per 100 possessions relative to league average. But as ring-counting has fallen out of style in favor of ever-more-sophisticated individual statistics, it can be hard to contextualize the legacy of a player who averaged 15.1 points per game, had no official numbers for his famous shot-blocking ability and did most of his winning in an NBA with fewer than 10 teams. Which was delayed by several months because Russell was 1 leading the U.S. to gold in the 1956 Summer Olympics (held in November and December because the host country, Australia, is in the Southern Hemisphere). easily its best, and they produced the league’s best record. And yet, in many ways, Russell created the NBA as we know it today.

Bill Russell, the NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years...

In 2013, a statue was unveiled on Boston's City Hall Plaza of Russell surrounded by blocks of granite with quotes on leadership and character. He earned spots on the NBA's 25th anniversary all-time team in 1970, 35th anniversary team in 1980 and 75th anniversary team. Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach so coveted Russell that he worked out a trade with the St. Louis Hawks for the second pick in the draft. The native of Louisiana also left a lasting mark as a Black athlete in a city -- and country -- where race is often a flash point. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps," Silver said. The Celtics won it all again in 1959, starting an unprecedented string of eight consecutive NBA crowns. The Celtics also picked up Tommy Heinsohn and K.C. Jones, Russell's college teammate, in the same draft. Often, that meant Wilt Chamberlain, the only player of the era who was a worthy rival for Russell. In 2009, the MVP trophy of the NBA Finals was named in his honour -- even though Russell never won it himself, because it wasn't awarded for the first time until 1969. He remains the sport's most prolific winner as a player and an archetype of selflessness who won with defence and rebounding while leaving the scoring to others. "Bill's wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you for keeping Bill in your prayers. That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6."

Bill Russell goes up for a block against the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell playing for the Boston Celtics against the L.A. Lakers in 1963.Photograph ...

That he lived to be an uncontroversially beloved culture-hero—given the fires of those years, and given the pressures he so elegantly accepted—is one of history’s miracles, a dark but brightening irony that might have made him cough up one of his surprisingly high-pitched, cackling laughs. When he talked about his involvement with the civil-rights movement, he didn’t sound like a happy warrior or an eager activist—just a man who, by dint of his color and his status, had a job that he knew he couldn’t shirk. He loaned his presence, loaned that face and his voice, to help solve a problem he hadn’t caused. The cost and the substance of his greatness was total awareness, an impossible density of movement and thought. Say the guy in the middle has the ball and I want the guy on the left to take the shot. The fifties and sixties were excruciating years in America, and they became a social gantlet for Russell. He was big, smart, self-accepting, sometimes remote, rightly pissed—the kind of Black man who flips switches in the wrong kinds of minds. Part of it was the intelligence and rectitude of his playing style. The details of his devastating genius sound fake: his teams won eleven N.B.A. championships in thirteen seasons, and he won five M.V.P. awards, in a time when that award was decided by a vote among the players themselves—his helpless rivals, undoubtedly bitter at his stinginess with victory, found his greatness impossible to ignore. Over six-nine with long limbs and air-cutting speed, he offered his physical and mental gifts at the altar of defense. Russell’s gait was straighter, his hair darker, and his mien, at least in public, more consistently grave when, during the fifties and sixties, as a slim, graceful, brilliant center for the Boston Celtics, he unspooled a record of excellence unmatched in American organized sports. Many of his most far-fetched deeds were un-videotaped and therefore subject to the twin whims of memory and time. Or he grinned from the crowd at games or award shows, sometimes—well, surprisingly often—flipping a quick middle finger at his friends.