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Bill Russell

For other people named Bill Russell, see Bill Russell (disambiguation).

Bill Russell
Russell dribbling a basketball
Russell with the Boston Celtics, c. 1960
Personal information
Born(1934-02-12)February 12, 1934
Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 31, 2022(2022-07-31) (aged 88)
Mercer Island, Washington, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)[1]
Career information
High schoolMcClymonds (Oakland, California)
CollegeSan Francisco (1953–1956)
NBA draft1956: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks
Playing career1956–1969
PositionCenter
Number6
Coaching career1966–1988
Career history
As player:
1956–1969Boston Celtics
As coach:
1966–1969Boston Celtics
1973–1977Seattle SuperSonics
1987–1988Sacramento Kings
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Career NBA playing statistics
Points14,522 (15.1 ppg)
Rebounds21,620 (22.5 rpg)
Assists4,100 (4.3 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Career coaching record
NBA341–290 (.540)
Record at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
FIBA Hall of Fame
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Team competition
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox basketball biography with unknown parameter "HOFn"

William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.[4] Russell is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

At the University of San Francisco, Russell led the San Francisco Dons to consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956.[5] He was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and captained the gold medal-winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics.[6] These victories along with his NBA championships made Russell one of only eight players in the history of basketball to achieve the Triple Crown.

After being chosen by the St. Louis Hawks with the second overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft, Russell was traded to the Boston Celtics for Celtics center Ed Macauley and small forward Cliff Hagan. With Russell as their starting center and defensive anchor, the Celtics went on to win their first NBA championship in 1957 and won an NBA record eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a 12-time NBA All-Star, Russell's rebounding, defense, and leadership made him one of the dominant players of his era.[7][8][9][10] Standing at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall, with a 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) arm span,[11][12] his shot-blocking and man-to-man defense were major reasons for the Celtics' dominance during his career. Russell also led the NBA in rebounds four times, had a dozen consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds,[13] and remains second all-time in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. Russell played in the wake of black pioneers Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Sweetwater Clifton, and he was the first black player to achieve superstar status in the NBA. During the final three seasons of his career (1966–1969), he served as player-coach of the Celtics, becoming the first black NBA coach to win a championship.[14] Russell ended his playing career and left his position as Celtics coach after helping the Celtics win the 1969 NBA championship.

Russell served as head coach and general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1973 to 1977. He also coached the Sacramento Kings from 1987 to 1988. Russell also worked as a color commentator and authored several books.

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. He was selected into the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996[6] (being one of only four players to receive all three honors), and was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. In 2009, the NBA renamed the NBA Finals MVP Award in his honor.[15] In 2011, Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his accomplishments on the court and in the civil rights movement.[16] In 2021, Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a second time in recognition of his coaching career.[17] Shortly after his death in 2022, the NBA retired Russell's #6 jersey league-wide, making him the only player in NBA history to receive that honor,[18] as well as the third person in North American major professional sports to have their jersey number retired league-wide, behind Jackie Robinson and Wayne Gretzky.[19]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference brstats was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "FIBA Hall of Fame: Bill Russell (USA)". FIBA. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Rapp, Timothy (July 31, 2022). "Bill Russell Dies at Age 88; Hall of Famer Won 11 NBA Titles with Celtics". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "Double down on No. 11s". ESPN. November 11, 2011. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference usf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference nbacomsummary was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Nerkar, Santul; Paine, Neil (August 1, 2022). "Bill Russell's Trailblazing Legacy Is Secure (Even If Stats Can't Measure It)". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "The game's greatest giants ever". ESPN. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  9. ^ Gill, Joe (June 13, 2010). "Bill Russell Is A Champion By Defintion [sic]". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  10. ^ Reardon, Logan (June 8, 2021). "Where does Bill Russell rank among best centers in NBA history?". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  11. ^ Daley, Arthur (February 24, 1957). "Education of a Rookie". The New York Times. p. 53. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  12. ^ Holmes, Baxter (October 11, 2014). "Bill Russell, K.C. Jones treated like 'Rock' stars at Alcatraz". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "NBA Encyclopedia, Playoff Edition". NBA Media Ventures. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  14. ^ Goldstein, Richard (July 31, 2022). "Bill Russell, Who Transformed Pro Basketball, Dies at 88". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  15. ^ "Legends profile: Bill Russell". National Basketball Association. September 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "Bill Russell Receives Arthur Ashe Courage Award At ESPYS". CBS Boston. July 11, 2019. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  17. ^ Helin, Kurt (September 12, 2021). "Watch Bill Russell be inducted into Hall of Fame as a coach". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Lopez, Andrew (August 11, 2022). "Bill Russell's No. 6 to be retired across NBA following legend's death last month". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  19. ^ Mather, Victor (August 12, 2022). "Bill Russell's No. 6 Joins Rare Class of Retired Jersey Numbers". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2024.


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