[198], In 1966, The New York Times wrote that "Russell's main characteristics are pride, intelligence, an active and appreciative sense of humor, a preoccupation with dignity, a capacity for consideration once his friendship or sympathy has been aroused, and an unwillingness to compromise whatever truths he has accepted. He later said: "The most successful television is done in eight-second thoughts, and the things I know about basketball, motivation, and people go deeper than that. Celtics owner Walter A. He said: "The Celtics were the first [NBA basketball] team to draft a black player, period: a guy named Chuck Cooper from Duquesne. [111] Although White became a standout Celtics player, Boston lacked an All-Star center, went 3448 in the 196970 NBA season, and failed to make it to the 1970 NBA playoffs, marking the first time since 1950 that they did not make the playoffs. His coach, George Powles, encouraged the youngster to develop his skills and become a good player. Cooper, the Boston Celtics will never embarrass you.' "[5][122] On November 3, 1979, Russell hosted Saturday Night Live, in which he appeared in several sports-related sketches. [154] He could score with putbacks and made mid-air outlet passes to point guard Bob Cousy for easy fast-break points. Russell's 51 rebounds in a single game is the second-highest performance ever, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain's all-time record of 55. [60] With the Celtics leading 125123 with one second left, the Hawks had the ball at their own baseline. [106] He was 15 pounds overweight, skipped mandatory NBA coach meetings, and was generally lacking energy; after a New York Knicks game, he complained of intense pain and was diagnosed with acute exhaustion. [21][42] That year, Russell won high jump titles at the Central California Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) meet, the Pacific AAU meet, and the West Coast Relays (WCR). [32] Russell became one of several big men who have brought about NCAA rule changes. He Says He Is His Fathers Son. However, he still made 12.5 points per game and 18.6 rebounds per game. Both Cousy and Russell called it the greatest Celtics team of all-time. ", "Glory at the Basket, William Felton Russell", "The Ring Leader: Bill Russell helped the Celtics rule their sport like no team ever has", "Celtics Name Russell Coach, Making Him First Negro to Lead Major Team", "A Farewell Fiercest Rival: Bill Russell Recalls Wilt As His Friend For Eternity", "Bill Russell: Working with Red Auerbach", "More than 40 years later, Celtics great Bill Russell finally accepts his Hall of Fame ring", "Third Annual 'We Are Boston' Event Honors Outstanding Contributions to Boston's Diversity", "Bill Russell: 'Tell those NFL players, I'm with them', UPI College Basketball Player of the Year Award, Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player, 1955 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, 1956 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award, Wayland Baptist Women's Teams (19481982), NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Russell&oldid=1152374708, African-American male track and field athletes, African-American sports executives and administrators, All-American college men's basketball players, American sports executives and administrators, Basketball players at the 1956 Summer Olympics, Basketball players from Oakland, California, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association broadcasters, National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches, National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award winners, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball, San Francisco Dons men's basketball players, San Francisco Dons men's track and field athletes, Track and field athletes from Oakland, California, United States men's national basketball team players, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 21:24. [67] Lakers head coach John Kundla praised Russell, stating: "We don't fear the Celtics without Bill Russell. In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that Russell was "the greatest champion in all of team sports". You are less. Russell later called it the best team of his era and the best defense of all time. Before his rookie year, he was made the captain of the U.S. national basketball team that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics. [37], On the hardwood, Russell's experiences were far more pleasant. He's the guy who whipped us psychologically. Prior to Game 5, no NBA team had ever come back from a 31 deficit. On August 11, 2022, the NBA announced the retirement of Russell's No. [53], Due to his Olympic commitment, Russell could not join the Celtics for the 195657 NBA season until December. [123] Russell also wrote books, usually written as a joint project with a professional writer, including 1979's Second Wind,[124] and played Judge Roger Ferguson in the Miami Vice episode "The Fix" (aired March 7, 1986). 10 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Butler, Name: Bill Russell, Birth Year: 1934, Birth date: February 12, 1934, Birth State: Louisiana, Birth City: Monroe, Birth Country: United States. It's all over! The Celtics made good use of the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers had exhausted the St. Louis Hawks in a long seven-game Western Conference Finals,[76] and Boston won the 1961 NBA Finals in five games. His early childhood was shaped by poor health, as the sickly Russell battled several different illnesses. "[99], Boston's championship streak ended at eight in his first full season as head coach when Chamberlain's Philadelphia 76ers won a record-breaking 68 regular-season games and were the favorites heading into the 1967 NBA playoffs, where they beat the Celtics 41 in the Eastern Division Finals. Auerbach agreed to trade Macauley, who had previously asked to be traded to St. Louis in order to be with his sick son, if the Hawks gave up Russell. When the NBA All-Stars toured the U.S. in the 1958 offseason, white hotel owners in segregated North Carolina denied rooms to Russell and his black teammates, causing him to later write in his 1966 memoir Go Up for Glory: "It stood out, a wall which understanding cannot penetrate. National tragedy struck on April 4, day of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. With eight of the ten starting players on Sixers and Celtics being black, both teams were in deep shock and there were calls to cancel the series. The Celtics won the match 115-106. Bill Russell died at his home in Mercer Island, Washington, on July 31, 2022. [19] Russell's father was once refused service at a gas station until the staff had taken care of all the white customers first. In the pivotal Game 7, Russell managed to hold Chamberlain to 22 points, 28 points below his season average, while scoring 19 points. The following season the Celtics became the first team to win 60 games in a season and he was again voted as the NBAs Most Valuable Player. Bill Russell had an impressive record not just as a basketball player, but more importantly, as a civil rights activist. [190] On October 16, 2013, Russell was arrested for bringing his registered, loaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun to the SeattleTacoma International Airport. Bill Russell, one of the most important and accomplished athletes in history, died on Sunday at the age of 88 with his wife Jeannine by his side, his family announced. [122] Perennially wary of what he long perceived as a racist city, Russell decided to make amends and gave his approval. Russell's 6'9" frame also earned plenty of attention. Although the salary was touted in the press as a record for an NBA coach, it is unclear whether Russell's continued $100,001 salary as a player was included in the calculation. [60] Despite their different ethnic backgrounds and lack of common off-court interests, his relationship with Cousy was amicable. [6][7][8][9] Standing at 6ft 10in (2.08m) tall, with a 7ft 4in (2.24m) arm span,[10][11] his shot-blocking and man-to-man defense were major reasons for the Celtics' dominance during his career. He was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. '"[219] In retirement, Russell described the Boston press as corrupt and racist; in response, Boston sports journalist Larry Claflin claimed that Russell himself was the real racist. [210] He was livid with Russell and saw him as a backstabber. [119] Russell also served as general manager of the SuperSonics during his coaching tenure,[120] and held the same position with the Kings during the 198889 season. Five times he was named the NBAs Most Valuable Player, and his 21,620 rebounds are second only to Chamberlains career mark. children: Jacob Russell, Karen Russell, William Russell Jr. Grouping of People: Black Baseball Players, U.S. State: Louisiana, African-American From Louisiana, awards: 1955 - NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player 1955-1956 - 2 NCAA champion 1963 - NBA All-Star Game MVP, 19571959 - 5 NBA rebounding champion 19641965 - 5 NBA rebounding champion 1958 - 5 NBA Most Valuable Player 1965 - 5 NBA Most Valuable Player 19611963 - 5 NBA Most Valuable Player 1957 - 11 NBA champion 19591966 - 11 NBA champion 19681969 - 11 NBA champion. Although Russell was a good runner and jumper and had large hands,[20] he did not understand the game and was cut from the team at Herbert Hoover Junior High School. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. He was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player but only named to the All-NBA Second Team, something that would occur repeatedly throughout his career, as players voted for the MVP award, something that would last until the 197980 NBA season, while the media has always voted for the All-NBA teams. He was the son of Katie and Charles Russell. [156] In 1970, The Sporting News named Russell the "Athlete of the Decade". He was never embraced by Boston fans in the way his white teammates were. [217] He was quoted as saying: "From my very first year I thought of myself as playing for the Celtics, not for Boston. During his early life, Bill Russell struggled in his life as he When Russell was 10, his father, Charlie, fed up with trying to navigate a racially charged South, moved his family across the country to Oakland, California, where he found work at a shipyard. That same year, in the NBA draft, the Boston Celtics orchestrated a deal with the St. Louis Hawks and traded for the draft rights to the young center. [110] Journalists were often treated to the "Russell Glower", described as an "icily contemptuous stare accompanied by a long silence". The block preserved Boston's slim 103102 lead with 40-odd seconds left to play in regulation, saving the game for the Celtics. [50] Bill Simmons has estimated that Russell had between 8 and 15 blocks per game in the playoffs. The already hostile atmosphere between Russell and Boston hit its apex when vandals broke into his house in Reading, Massachusetts, covered the walls with racist graffiti, damaged his trophies, and defecated in the beds. So after the season was over, they had a Northern California banquet, and they picked another center as Player of the Year in Northern California. Chamberlain outscored Russell by 81 points in the series, but the Celtics walked off with a 42 series win. '"[204], In a retrospective interview, Russell described the state of mind he felt he needed to enter in order to be able to play basketball: "I had to almost be in a rage. The family of Bill Russell announced that he passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. As a child, he witnessed how his parents were victims of racial abuse, and the family eventually moved into government housing projects to escape the daily torrent of bigotry. "[50] That playoff series ended in a dramatic Game 7, when the Sixers were trailing 110109 five seconds before the end, but Russell turned over the ball. They had three children: daughter Karen Russell, a television pundit and lawyer, and sons William Jr. and Jacob. [38] He became known for his strong defense and shot-blocking skills, once denying 13 shots in a game. Russell capped his amateur career by leading the U.S. mens basketball team to the gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. 4 in ESPN's list of the top 74 NBA players of all time, the second best center behind Abdul-Jabbar and ahead of Chamberlain. [155] He was selected three times to the All-NBA First Teams (1959, 1963, 1965) and eight Second Teams (1958, 196062, 1964, 196668), and was a 12-time NBA All-Star (19581969). [91][92] It was their sixth consecutive and seventh title in Russell's eight years with the team, a streak unreached in any U.S. professional sports league. He replied: "Yes." I owe so much to him it's impossible to express. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. [77], In the 196162 NBA season, Russell scored a career-high 18.9 points per game, accompanied by 23.6 rebounds per game. The NCAA had previously prohibited goaltending in response to George Mikan (1945) and later banned the dunk shot due to Lew Alcindor (1967), although the latter rule was later repealed. The teams split the first six games. [20] Russell was closer to his mother Katie than to his father,[20] and he received a major emotional blow when she suddenly died when he was 12 years old. [112], In 1971, Russell joined NBA on ABC to do commentary on the Game of the Week. Bill Russell: Early Life and Education. On May 6, 1999, the Celtics re-retired Russell's jersey in a ceremony attended by his on-court rival and friend Chamberlain, along with Celtics legend Larry Bird and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Russell, who had a difficult relationship with the media, did not attend either ceremony. [4] Decades later, Russell explained that his experiences hardened him against abuse of all kinds,[35] saying: "I never permitted myself to be a victim. [16] In 2021, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a second time for his coaching career. In addition to Macauley, who was the Celtics' premier player at the time, he wanted Cliff Hagan, who had been serving in the military for three years and had not yet played for the Celtics. He won five regular season MVP awards and was selected three times to the all-NBA First Teams. [158], On August 11, 2022, it was announced that Russell's No. [15], Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, was one of the founding inductees into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. Hailed as the greatest winner in sports, Basketball Hall of Fame center Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented 11 championships in 13 seasons. [1] While his rival had a record-breaking season of 50.4 points per game, including Chamberlain's 100-point game,[68] the Celtics became the first team to win 60 games in a season and Russell was voted as the league's MVP. The game was tied with two seconds left when Sam Jones sank a clutch shot that won the Celtics the series. [128] On November 17, the two-time NCAA champion Russell was recognized for his impact on college basketball as a member of the founding class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. [138] Russell attended Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals to present Bryant the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. [81][82] Russell finished with a clutch performance, scoring 30 points, along with 4 assists,[83] and tying his own NBA Finals record with 40 rebounds in a 110107 overtime win. When Chamberlain died in 1999, Chamberlain's nephew said that Russell was the second person he was told to call. [151] He also had 51 in one game, 49 in two others, and twelve straight seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds. "[215], In 1966, Russell was promoted to head coach of the Celtics. Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. [59], At that time, Russell received much negative publicity as a player. Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. In the wake of her passing he committed himself to his studies. [195][196] For his promotion to coach, the Celtics paid Russell an annual salary of $25,000 which was in addition to his salary as a player. [78], In the 1962 NBA Finals, the Celtics met the Los Angeles Lakers of forward Elgin Baylor and guard Jerry West. Bill Russell never ceases to amaze me. [135][136], On February 14, 2009, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award would be renamed the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his honor as an 11-time NBA champion. Bill Russell, one of the greatest Boston Celtics and NBA players ever, died, his family said Sunday. [57] Russell never had to work part-time. After he graduated, the NCAA rules committee instituted a second new rule to counter the play of big men like Russell; basket interference was now prohibited. The Celtics were already a high-scoring team but the addition of Russell added to their strengths. [38] Russell led the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game for the competition. His third marriage was to Marilyn Nault which lasted till her death in 2009. [137] During halftime of the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Celtics captains Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce presented Russell a surprise birthday cake for his 75th birthday. [68] On November 7, 1959, Russell's Celtics hosted Chamberlain's Warriors and pundits called the matchup between the best offensive and defensive centers "The Big Collision" and "Battle of the Titans". [1] The 195657 Boston Celtics season saw the debut of a starting lineup made up of five future Hall-of-Famers: center Russell, forwards Heinsohn and Frank Ramsey, and guards Bill Sharman and Bob Cousy. [203] Later in Russell's career, John Havlicek said of his teammate and coach that he threw up less often than early in his career, only doing so "when it's an important game or an important challenge for himsomeone like Chamberlain, or someone coming up that everyone's touting. Russell was born on February 12, 1934, to Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. [5], In the 196465 NBA season, the Celtics won a league-record 62 games and Russell averaged 14.1 points and 24.1 rebounds per game, winning his second consecutive rebounding title and his fifth MVP award. [50][90], In the 196364 NBA season, the Celtics posted a league-best 5822 record in the regular season. Russell scored 15.0 points per game and grabbed a career-high 24.7 rebounds per game, leading the NBA in rebounds for the first time since Chamberlain entered the league. The talented player had grown up in a neighbourhood notorious for its rampant racism. In California, life for the Russell family proved rocky. It wasnt long before the defensively adept Russell proved to be dominating presence, with a scorers touch and uncanny ability to rebound. 1 choice has to be Bill Russell. [48], The Harlem Globetrotters invited Russell to join their exhibition basketball squad. And in basketball I respect a man for his ability, period. The Celtics managed a 108-89 victory and swept the Nationals in three games. [14] In 2011, Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his accomplishments on the court and in the civil rights movement. In 2009, the NBA renamed the NBA Finals MVP Award in his honor. Russell was offered the role of player-coach, which he acceptedmaking him the first African-American NBA coach. [185][186] He was a resident of Mercer Island, Washington, for over four decades. The basketball star and his fourth wife Jeannine had continued to He became the centerpiece of a USF team that became a formidable college basketball team. [66] Many observers thought that Boston could have won had Russell not been injured, but Auerbach commented: "You can always look for excuses We just got beat. He later commented that he would have participated in the high jump if he had been snubbed by the basketball team. The owner of the Hawks called Auerbach later and demanded more in the trade. And what we would do is[Auerbach] trusted all his playersso like when he'd make a coaching decision, he could talk: he talked to [Bob] Cousey [who is white], he talked to me [black], he talked to [Bill] Sharman [white], he talked to Sam [Jones] [black]all of us: 'What do you think?' [116] He attended his 2021 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. [102] Russell acknowledged the first real loss of his career, as he had been injured when the Celtics lost the 1958 NBA Finals, by visiting Chamberlain in the locker room, shaking his hand, and saying: "Great. [20], At USF, Russell became the new starting center for coach Phil Woolpert of the San Francisco Dons. [61], The Celtics finished the 195657 regular season with a 4428 record, the team's second-best record since beginning play in the 194647 BAA season, which guaranteed Russell his first NBA playoffs appearance,[62] where the Celtics met with the Syracuse Nationals, a team led by Dolph Schayes, through the Eastern Division Finals. According to Taylor, he often perceived insults even if others did not. WebBill Russell as seen in an Instagram Post in July 2019 (Bill Russell / Instagram) Bill Russell Facts. As part of the 1961 Celtics boycott, he and the other black teammates refused to play in the exhibition game and flew home, drawing a great deal of controversy and publicity. He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. Career-wise in rebounds, Russell ranks second to Chamberlain in regular season total (21,620) and average per game (22.5), and he led the NBA in average rebounds per game four times. Russell was the first player to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NBA Championship, and a collegiate championship. In the fall of 1952, he tried out as a walk-on at the University of San Francisco and earned a scholarship. [187] His older brother was the noted playwright Charlie L. Brown contacted Rochester owner Les Harrison and received an assurance that the Royals could not afford Russell, and they would draft Sihugo Green. Bill Russell was born on January 10, 1935, and died at age 61 years old on March 9, 1996. [5] Russell was known as one of the most clutch players in the NBA. In the last play, Sam Jones used a triple screen by Bailey Howell, Larry Siegfried, and Havlicek to hit a buzzer beater that equalized the series. He had a career of firsts & led the way for many. [69] The matchup between Russell and Chamberlain became one of basketball's greatest rivalries. . His team won 49 games and easily made the first berth in the 1958 NBA Playoffs. He won 11 NBA championships as a player with the Boston Celtics in 13 seasons. Bill Russell Children: Meet Jacob Russell, William Russell Jr The crowd gave Russell a prolonged standing ovation, which brought tears to his eyes. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Bill Russell. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Bill Russell Family Tree : Parents, Wife, Children, Biography He was played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) In its announcement, the WCC stated: "The 'Russell Rule' requires each member institution to include a member of a traditionally underrepresented community in the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach position in the athletic department. [225], On September 26, 2017, Russell posted a photograph of himself to a previously unused Twitter account in which he was taking the knee in solidarity with the U.S. national anthem kneeling protests. In Game 4, the Celtics were trailing by one point with seven seconds left and the Lakers had the ball until Baylor stepped out of bounds. This basketball great was declared as the "Greatest Player in the History of the NBA" by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America in 1980. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/william-felton-bill-russell-859.php. In protest, the whole team decided to camp out in a closed college dorm, which was later called an important bonding experience for the group. [41] While blocked shots were not a recorded basketball statistic during Russell's career, he averaged 8.1 blocks in 135 games, as Boston writers often attempted to tally his blocks. [13], Russell's life was marked by an uphill battle against racism and controversial actions and statements in response to racism. Regarded as one of the best ever players in the history of National Basketball Association (NBA), William Felton Bill Russell is a retired professional basketball player who was the centerpiece of the Bostons Celtics dynasty for a period of 13 years. He was very famous for his shot-blocking and man-to-man defense which led his team to many victories in major tournaments. He's so good, he scares you. In Game 2, Philadelphia evened the series with a 115106 win and then went on to win Games 3 and 4. [99] On April 16, 1966, Russell agreed to become head coach of the Celtics, and a public announcement was made two days later. [80] Game 7 was tied one second before the end of regular time, when Lakers guard Rod Hundley faked a shot and passed out to Frank Selvy, who missed an open eight-foot last-second shot that would have won Los Angeles the title. NBA Legend Bill Russell Biography, Age, Height, Family, Wife Even against more physically imposing centers, like .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Wilt Chamberlain, Russell was a defensive and rebounding force. [49], In the draft, Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach set his sights on Russell, thinking his defensive toughness and rebounding prowess were the missing pieces the Celtics needed. While Charlie found good work, in 1946 his wife, Katie, became quite sick with the flu and died. He was offered a scholarship from the University of San Francisco (USF). Auerbach knew that the Rochester Royals, who owned the first draft pick, already had a strong rebounder in Maurice Stokes, were looking for an outside shooting guard, and were unwilling to pay Russell the $25,000 signing bonus he requested. Bill Russell grins at announcement that he had been named coach of the Boston Celtics basketball team, April 18, 1966.