Russell used a copy as extra motivation and told his team to play a running game because in that case it was not the better but the more determined team that was going to win. He was selected into the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996,[5] one of only four players to receive all three honors, and selected into the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He helped the team win a Gold medal. [184] Russell was married to Jeannine Russell at the time of his death. He was notorious for his public surliness and judgmental attitude towards others. His amazing performance continued in the 1958-59 season where he averaged 16.7 points per game and 23.0 rebounds per game. "[214] Describing the Celtics organization, as distinguished from Boston sports fans in the 1950s and 1960s, as very progressive racially, Russell recalled in 2010 a list of the organization's accomplishments on racial progress both in terms of objective milestones and his own subjective experience as a member of the organization. Bill Russell Children: Meet Jacob Russell, William Russell Jr He Says He Is His Fathers Son. Russell, who once said he owed the public nothing,[110] was not there; he ended his career and cut all ties to the Celtics. Celtics owner Walter A. In California, life for the Russell family proved rough. [72][73] In the 1960 NBA Finals, the Celtics outlasted the Hawks 43 in the series and won their third championship in four years. [30], Combining the stature and shot-blocking skills of a center with the foot speed of a guard, Russell became the centerpiece of a USF team that soon became a force in college basketball. [174] The statue was unveiled on November 1, 2013, with Russell in attendance. [50] Boston's chances of getting Russell seemed slim because they had finished second in the previous season and the worst teams had the highest draft picks, and the Celtics had slipped too low in the draft order to pick Russell. In 2009, the NBA renamed the NBA Finals MVP Award in his honor. UCLA Bruins coach John Wooden called Russell "the greatest defensive man I've ever seen". [13], Russell's life was marked by an uphill battle against racism and controversial actions and statements in response to racism. [190] On October 16, 2013, Russell was arrested for bringing his registered, loaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun to the SeattleTacoma International Airport. [107], Russell and the Celtics achieved upsets over the 76ers and the Knicks to earn a meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1969 NBA Finals. Following Chamberlain's death in October 1999, Russell returned to prominence at the turn of the millennium. Bill Russell was born on January 10, 1935, and died at age 61 years old on March 9, 1996. The Celtics won the match 115-106. [1] The Celtics broke a league record by winning 52 games and Russell's strong performance once again helped lead the Celtics through the 1959 NBA playoffs, as they returned to the NBA Finals. Boston then beat the Los Angeles Lakers 42 in the 1968 NBA Finals, giving Russell his tenth title in twelve years. Athletically awkward at first, Russell struggled to find playing time on the team at McClymonds High School in Oakland. [38] Russell led the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game for the competition. His talent did not immediately shine through. After the next provocation, Russell pounded Felix to the point of unconsciousness, paid a modest $25 fine, and rarely was the target of cheap fouls thereafter. "[154] In the book, Russell wrote: "Whenever I leave the Celtics locker room, even Heaven wouldn't be good enough because anywhere else is a step down With Red [Auerbach] and Walter Brown, I was the freest athlete on the planet. The block preserved Boston's slim 103102 lead with 40-odd seconds left to play in regulation, saving the game for the Celtics. [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. 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. Russells superstardom was special not just because of his amazing performances, what made his success even more special was the fact that he was the first African-American player in the NBA history to achieve such glory' he was also the first African-American to become an NBA coach. [5] Auerbach's thoughts were unorthodox, as in that period centers and forwards were defined by their offensive output, and their ability to play defense was secondary. I'm certainly going to ask Maurice Podoloff." [187] His older brother was the noted playwright Charlie L. I could always be myself with them and they were always there for me. He was born and brought up in a super-rich-class Catholic Like almost all Southern towns and cities of that time, Monroe was very segregated and the Russells often struggled with racism in their daily lives. Russell's father was once refused service at a gas station until the staff had taken care of all the white customers first. William Felton Russell was born on February 12th in 1934. During his early life, Bill Russell struggled in his life as he Russell's 6'9" frame also earned plenty of attention. [20], At USF, Russell became the new starting center for coach Phil Woolpert of the San Francisco Dons. When he became player-coach in 1966, Russell bluntly said to his teammates that "he intended to cut all personal ties to other players" and seamlessly made the transition from their peer to their superior. [62] In Boston, both fans and journalists felt betrayed because Russell left the Celtics without a coach and a center, and he sold his retirement story for $10,000 to Sports Illustrated. In California, life for the Russell family proved rocky. He won five regular season MVP awards and was selected three times to the all-NBA First Teams. 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. [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. In his first NBA playoff game against the Syracuse Nationals in 1957, he finished with 16 points and 31 rebounds along with 7 blocks. [95] In Game 5, Russell contributed with 12 points, 28 rebounds, and 7 assists, plus 10 blocks and 6 steals; blocks and steals became officially recorded statistics in the 197374 NBA season. [50] He excelled at playing man-to-man defense, blocking shots, and grabbing defensive rebounds. In the interim, Russell won an Olympic gold medal in 1956. [144][157] Russell is universally seen as one of the best NBA players ever,[5] and he was declared "Greatest Player in the History of the NBA" by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America in 1980. Five times he was named the NBAs Most Valuable Player, and his 21,620 rebounds are second only to Chamberlains career mark. Russell was the first player to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NBA Championship, and a collegiate championship. Russell was so quick that he could run over for a quick double team and make it back in time if the opponents tried to find the open man. [67] Lakers head coach John Kundla praised Russell, stating: "We don't fear the Celtics without Bill Russell. In his thirteen years, he averaged a relatively low 13.4 field goals attempted (normally, top scorers average 20 and more),[1] illustrating that he was never the focal point of the Celtics offense, who instead focused on his elite defense. The first [NBA organization] to hire a black [head] coach was the Boston Celtics, and they've had at least five [black head-coaches] over the years. Early Life & Biography. As the teams split the first six games, the tension was so high that in Game 3 Celtics coach Auerbach punched his colleague Ben Kerner and received a $300 fine. 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. "[36], Racism shaped his lifelong paradigm as a team player, about which Russell said: "At that time it was never acceptable that a black player was the best. [25] Sports journalist John Taylor described it as a watershed event in Russell's life because he realized that basketball was his chance to escape poverty and racism, and he swore to make the best of it. Chamberlain outscored Russell by 81 points in the series, but the Celtics walked off with a 42 series win. [126], Russell made few public appearances in the early 1990s, living as a near-recluse on Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle. In 1954, he became the first coach of a major college basketball squad to start three African-American players: K. C. Jones, Hal Perry, and Russell. The fans could do or think whatever they wanted. [108], Days later, 30,000 Celtics fans cheered their returning heroes. 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. [110] According to Taylor, Russell discounted the fact that his career was facilitated by white people who were proven anti-racists: his high school coach George Powles, who encouraged him to play basketball, his college coach Phil Woolpert, who integrated USF basketball, Celtics coach Red Auerbach, who made him the first black NBA coach and is regarded as an anti-racist pioneer for his no color barrier, and Celtics owner Walter A. He won 11 NBA championships as a player with the Boston Celtics in 13 seasons. The game was primarily considered a match between Russell and the Warriors center, Wilt Chamberlain, as both of the playerswere amazing centers. [5], On February 5, 1960, Russell had 23 points, 51 rebounds, and 5 assists in a 124100 win over the Syracuse Nationals. [108] It was so surprising that Auerbach was blindsided and made the mistake of drafting guard Jo Jo White instead of a center. [51] Auerbach later said that Brown offered Harrison guaranteed performances of the Ice Capades if they did not draft Russell; it is difficult to verify or disprove this, but it is clear that the Royals underrated Russell. [115] He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. He scored 15.0 ppg and 24.7 rebounds per game during the 1963-64 season. [26], Russell soon became noted for his unusual style of defense. His 1956 rookie contract was worth $24,000 (equivalent to $239,207 in 2021), only fractionally smaller than the $25,000 of top earner and teammate Bob Cousy. "[102] The game still ended on a high note for Russell. [5] Russell's team again beat Chamberlain's Philadelphia 76ers 41 in the Eastern Division Finals, proceeding to win the NBA Finals in a tight showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Russell scoring 25 points and grabbing 32 rebounds, plus giving out an assist,[98] in a 9593 win in Game 7. Russell married his first wife Rose in 1956, and the couple had their first child, William Jr., the year after. As Chamberlain was often defended by Celtics backup center Wayne Embry, the press speculated that Russell was worn down. Bill Russellwas born to Charles and Katie Russell on February 12, 2022, inWest Monroe, Louisiana. I refuse to smile and be nice to the kiddies. 6 jersey was retired by the Celtics on March 12, 1972,[114] Russell had worn the same number 6 at the USF and for the 1956 U.S. Olympic team. Gottlieb stated: "Our Paul Arizin went underneath for a simple backboard lay-up, and as the ball traveled down towards the basket, Russell batted it away. [210], Chamberlain's knee was injured so badly that he could not play the entire offseason and he ruptured it the next season. ", "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. In his first playoff game, Russell finished with 16 points and 31 rebounds, along with 7 reported blocks, which were not yet an officially registered statistic. [57] He also became famous for his shot-blocking skills and pundits called his blocks "Wilsonburgers", referring to the Wilson NBA basketballs he "shoved back into the faces of opposing shooters". [132] On June 18, 2007, Russell was inducted as a member of the founding class of the FIBA Hall of Fame. Jones treated like 'Rock' stars at Alcatraz", "Bill Russell, Who Transformed Pro Basketball, Dies at 88", "Bill Russell Receives Arthur Ashe Courage Award At ESPYS", "Watch Bill Russell be inducted into Hall of Fame as a coach", "Bill Russell's No. Lakers coach Bill van Breda Kolff kept him on the bench until the end of the game, saying later that he wanted to stay with the lineup responsible for the comeback. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}10 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Butler, Celebrities & Notables Running the Boston Marathon, 7 Facts About Gymnast and TikTok Star Olivia Dunne, Nat Sweetwater Cliftons First NBA Season, 8 Negro League Legends Featured in a New MLB Game, Get to Know NCAA Tournament Star Caitlin Clark. [173] The art is by Ann Hirsch of Somerville, Massachusetts, in collaboration with Pressley Associates Landscape Architects of Boston. [194] When Wilt Chamberlain became the first NBA player to earn $100,000 in salary in 1965 (equivalent to $859,873 in 2021), Russell went to Auerbach and demanded a $100,001 salary, which he promptly received. Bill Russell was born on 12 February 1934. As a freshman at McClymonds High School in Oakland,[23][24] Russell was almost cut again;[25] as he saw Russell's raw athletic potential, coach George Powles encouraged him to work on his fundamentals. Full Article. Bill Russell, byname of William Felton Russell, (born February 12, 1934, Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.), American basketball player who was the first outstanding defensive centre in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one of the sports greatest icons. He won 11 NBA titles in the 13 seasons that he played with [58] Gottlieb protested the next day, saying that Russell played a one-man zone and goaltended numerous times, to only be called once. William Felton Russell was an American professional basketball player. The game was tied with two seconds left when Sam Jones sank a clutch shot that won the Celtics the series. [20] Russell stated that his father became his childhood hero, later followed up by Minneapolis Lakers superstar George Mikan, whom he met when he was in high school. 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. Bill Russell Family Tree : Parents, Wife, Children, Biography He was played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) When I started to jump to make defensive plays and to block shots, I was initially corrected, but I stuck with it, and it paid off. WebDON'T FORGET TO; SUBSCRIBE+LIKE+COMMENTBill Russell is an American retired professional basketball player, author, NBA legend, and a philanthropist. 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. Over the next several decades he periodically came back to the game as a coach or as an executive, but his teams failed to win with the kind of regularity he enjoyed as a player. [154] He could score with putbacks and made mid-air outlet passes to point guard Bob Cousy for easy fast-break points. He is depicted in-game, surrounded by 11 plinths representing the 11 championships he helped the Celtics win. [97], Celtics coach Red Auerbach retired before the 196667 NBA season. [127] Russell's Rules was published in 2001, and he convinced Miami Heat superstar center Shaquille O'Neal to bury the hatchet with fellow NBA superstar and former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant and end the ShaqKobe feud in January 2006. [19] Russell's father was once refused service at a gas station until the staff had taken care of all the white customers first. [101] During the series, Russell said: "Right now, he (Wilt) is playing like me [to win]. It would be to our advantage if we paid him off for five years to get away from us in the rest of this series. [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. NBA legend and Hall of Famer Bill Russell died Sunday at the age of 88. [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). [99] Third choice Tom Heinsohn also said no because he did not think he could handle the often surly Russell,[99] whom he proposed as a player-coach. Throughout his career, Bill Russell won 11 NBA championship rings. Bill Russell, the greatest defensive player of all time, has a special place in the NBAs Hall of Fame. This unlikely superstar came into the NBA as a center for the Boston Celtics and played for the team for his entire 13 years of career. 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. [213] He was often called Felton X, presumably in the tradition of the Nation of Islam's practice of replacing a European slave name with an X and purchased land in Liberia. [48], The Harlem Globetrotters invited Russell to join their exhibition basketball squad. West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, San Francisco Dons men's basketball 195455 NCAA champions, San Francisco Dons men's basketball 195556 NCAA champions, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders, List of National Basketball Association annual rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association career minutes played leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks, List of National Basketball Association single-game rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association rookie single-season rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association single-season rebounding leaders, List of NBA players with most championships, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career rebounding leaders, "Bill Russell, Henri Richard Famous Elevens Gallery", "195356 NCAA Championship Seasons: The Bill Russell Years", "Bill Russell's Trailblazing Legacy Is Secure (Even If Stats Can't Measure It)", "Bill Russell Is A Champion By Defintion [sic]", "Where does Bill Russell rank among best centers in NBA history?
