Bill Russell Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life NBA legend Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and the first Black head coach in the league, passed away Sunday, July 31, according to [207], Russell was known for his distinctive high-pitched laugh, of which Auerbach quipped: "There are only two things that could make me quit coaching. 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. So we never, or at least I never, ever considered him as having ulterior motives for whatever he did. [53], Due to his Olympic commitment, Russell could not join the Celtics for the 195657 NBA season until December. 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. He most likely would have led the league in blocked shots many times, but the NBA had not yet started keeping track of the statistic. Before his rookie year, he was made the captain of the U.S. national basketball team that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics. The crowd gave Russell a prolonged standing ovation, which brought tears to his eyes. With the added defensive presence of Russell, the Celtics had laid the foundation for a dynasty, as the team utilized a strong defensive approach to the game, forcing opposing teams to commit many turnovers, which led to many easy points on fast breaks. Russell also ignored Heinsohn's request for an autograph on behalf of his cousin and openly said to Heinsohn that he deserved half of his $300 Rookie of the Year check. "[215], In 1966, Russell was promoted to head coach of the Celtics. [5] Russell was elected to one NBA All-Defensive First Team. 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. [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. 6 in ESPN's NBA 75th Anniversary Team list,[164] and No. [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". Bill Russell was a champion of activism before winning NBA titles [103] In the Eastern Division Finals of the 1968 NBA playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers had the better record than Boston and were the favorites. 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. The Celtics managed a 108-89 victory and swept the Nationals in three games. [181] In 1977, he married Dorothy Anstett, Miss USA of 1968;[181] they divorced in 1980. K. C. Jones did not play for the Celtics until 1958 because of military service. [108] Russell then reversed himself and ordered his team to double-team West and Boston won Game 3. [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. Auerbach replied that Gottlieb's statements were "absolutely ridiculous" and said any controversy was "a question of sour grapes". [191] He was issued a citation and released, and the Transportation Security Administration indicated it would levy a civil penalty, which would be between $3,000 and $7,500. [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. 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. The game featured Shane Battier, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Maya Moore, Alonzo Mourning, Joakim Noah, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Obama's friends from high school. [1] The NBA reasoned that other centers were better all-round players than Russell but no player was more valuable to his team. [133][134] In 2008, Russell received the Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement. [5] Chamberlain said Russell's timing as a shot-blocker was unparalleled. [154] He could score with putbacks and made mid-air outlet passes to point guard Bob Cousy for easy fast-break points. Best Known For: 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. The block preserved Boston's slim 103102 lead with 40-odd seconds left to play in regulation, saving the game for the Celtics. I was the MVP at the Final Four. [26], Russell soon became noted for his unusual style of defense. He said: "The Celtics were the first [NBA basketball] team to draft a black player, period: a guy named Chuck Cooper from Duquesne. In a game called as "unreal" and "devoid of emotion", the Sixers lost 127118 on April 5. How many wives has Bill Russell had? Looking at the He made a free throw, blocked a shot by Sixers player Chet Walker, grabbed a rebound off a miss by Greer, and passed the ball to teammate Sam Jones, who scored to clinch the win. "[122] In December 2008, the We Are Boston Leadership Award was presented to Russell. The Internal Revenue Service discovered that Russell owed $34,430 in tax money and put a lien on his house. He had invested $250,000 in a rubber plantation in Liberia, where he had wanted to spend his retirement, but it went bankrupt. [45][46][47] He also competed in the 440 yards (402.3m) race, which he could complete in 49.6 seconds. Their 4834 record was the team's worst since the 195556 NBA season and they entered the 1969 NBA playoffs as the fourth-seeded team in the East. [41], In his career, Russell won five NBA MVP awards (1959, 196163, 1965),[5] which is tied with Michael Jordan for second all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's six awards, and is at No. He is said to have made a conscious decision to put the team first and foremost, and not worry about individual achievements. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Bill Russell. When the Celtics drafted Chuck Cooper and they came into Washington, D.C., to sign his contract, Walter Brown the owner of the team walked up to him and said: 'Mr. The Celtic coach Red Auerbach retired before the 1966-67 season. He later commented that he would have participated in the high jump if he had been snubbed by the basketball team. Russell was married three times. William Felton Russell was born on February 12th in 1934. Russell's stint with the Kings was considerably shorter, his last assignment ending when the Kings went 1741 to begin the 198788 NBA season. [158] Russell ranked No. 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. He was the central focus of the Celtics dynasty, who won 11 NBA championships so over course of his 13 During his three-year varsity career, in which he led the team to consecutive NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956, he averaged 20.7 points and 20.3 rebounds per game. [108] It was so surprising that Auerbach was blindsided and made the mistake of drafting guard Jo Jo White instead of a center. [224] In 1995, the Celtics left the Boston Garden and entered the FleetCenter, now known as the TD Garden; as the main festive act, the Celtics wanted to re-retire Russell's jersey in front of a sellout audience. Russell held Chamberlain to a pair of field goals in the first three quarters of Game 3. moved his family over to Oakland, California, where he looked for some employment at a shipyard. [51], The St. Louis Hawks, who owned the second pick, drafted Russell but were vying for Celtics center Ed Macauley, a six-time NBA All-Star who had roots in St. Louis. Bill Russell married his college sweetheart Rose Swisher in 1956. [77], In the 196162 NBA season, Russell scored a career-high 18.9 points per game, accompanied by 23.6 rebounds per game. Russell made himself eligible for the 1956 NBA draft. [105] After losing for the fifth straight time against Russell and the Celtics, Hall-of-Fame Lakers guard Jerry West stated: "If I had a choice of any basketball player in the league, my No. 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. 6 jersey would be retired throughout the National Basketball Association, the first time a jersey had been retired league-wide in NBA history, and joining Jackie Robinson and Wayne Gretzky in the honor among the four major American sports leagues. [121] In addition, Russell ran into financial trouble. The game was tied with two seconds left when Sam Jones sank a clutch shot that won the Celtics the series. The talented player had grown up in a neighbourhood notorious for its rampant racism. Prior to Game 5, no NBA team had ever come back from a 31 deficit. [94], In the 1965 NBA playoffs, the Celtics played the Eastern Division Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that had traded for Chamberlain. 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. "[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 (2004). 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. He led the San Francisco Dons to two consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956,[4] and he captained the gold-medal winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. 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 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. .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. [110] Russell was also notorious for his refusal to give autographs or acknowledge the Celtics fans, and was called "the most selfish, surly and uncooperative athlete" by one pundit. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Russell [210] He was livid with Russell and saw him as a backstabber. While in Oakland he was very poor but became a [182] In 1996, Russell married his third wife, Marilyn Nault;[183] their marriage lasted until her death in January 2009. [19] While there, they fell into poverty and Russell spent his childhood living in a series of public housing projects. While Charlie found good work, in 1946 his wife, Katie, became quite sick with the flu and died. Bills understanding of the struggle is what illuminated his life. A cause of death wasnt given, nor did a family statement say where he died. 6 was retired in 1972; he also refused to attend his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1975. [209] The close relationship ended after Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals, when Chamberlain injured his knee with six minutes left and was forced to leave the game. He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. [56] Russell's first Celtics game came on December 22, 1956, against the St. Louis Hawks, led by star forward Bob Pettit, who would go on to hold several all-time scoring records. The Celtics rallied back, winning Game 5 122104 and Game 6 114106, powered by a spirited Havlicek and helped by a terrible Sixers shooting slump. To coach the Celtics, he had initially wanted his old player Frank Ramsey, who was too occupied running his three lucrative nursing homes. Frank Robinson, a future member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, was one of Russell's high school basketball teammates. [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. Russell was offered the role of player-coach, which he acceptedmaking him the first African-American NBA coach. August 1, 2022 NBA reacts to According to Taylor, he often perceived insults even if others did not. His early childhood was shaped by poor health, as the sickly Russell battled several different illnesses. Bill Russell - Stats, Rings & Spouse - Biography Bill Russell, one of the greatest basketball players of all time who led the charge on and off the court, has died, his family announced Sunday. [5] Russell was known as one of the most clutch players in the NBA. I'm certainly going to ask Maurice Podoloff." Constantly provoked by New York Knicks center Ray Felix during a game, he complained to coach Auerbach, who told him to take matters into his own hands. When Russell was eight years old, his father moved the family out of Louisiana and settled in Oakland, California. [57] Russell never had to work part-time. "[66], In the 195859 NBA season, Russell averaged 16.7 points per game and 23.0 rebounds per game. [5], Despite his limitations on offense, as Russell averaged 15.1 points per game, his rebounding, defense, and leadership made him one of the dominant players of his era. [106] Russell pulled himself together and put up 9.9 points and 19.3 rebounds per game;[1] the aging Celtics stumbled through the regular season. [189] Russell was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, having been initiated into its Gamma Alpha chapter while a student at University of San Francisco. Asked by Russell what was wrong, his grandfather replied how proud he was of him, being coach of an organization in which blacks and whites coexisted in harmony. At the age of 9 he moved to Oakland. Russell was born on February 12, 1934, to Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. He won 11 NBA championships as a player with the Boston Celtics in 13 seasons. [60] In the highly-competitive Game 7, Russell tried his best to slow down Pettit, as Heinsohn scored 37 points and kept the Celtics alive;[60] Russell contributed by completing the famous "Coleman Play", as he ran down Hawks forward Jack Coleman, who had received an outlet pass at midcourt, and blocked his shot despite the fact that Russell had been standing at his own baseline when the ball was thrown to Coleman. [13], 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. He later recalled: "To play good defense it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. Bill Russell has been married on 4 different occasions but had never kept a marriage for up to 2 decades, the longest being 17 years (19561973) to a lady called [5] This took place during his last season (1969) and was the first season the NBA All-Defensive Teams were selected. [105] He is one of four players (along with Cousy, George Mikan, and Bob Pettit) to have made all four NBA anniversary teams: the NBA 25th Anniversary Team (1970), the NBA 35th Anniversary Team (1980), the NBA 50th Anniversary Team (1996),[5] and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021). 4 in a similar list by The Athletic. [20] Since Russell's previous experiences with white authority figures were often negative, warm words from Powles reassured him. [220] The FBI maintained a file on Russell and described him in their file as "an arrogant Negro who won't sign autographs for white children". 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. [210], Chamberlain's knee was injured so badly that he could not play the entire offseason and he ruptured it the next season. [14] In 2011, Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his accomplishments on the court and in the civil rights movement. [57], Russell was an elite help defender who allowed the Celtics to play the "Hey, Bill" defense: whenever a Celtic requested additional defensive help, he would shout "Hey, Bill!" Bill Russell Height, Weight, Family, Facts, Education, Biography We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. [5][50], In the 196061 NBA season, Russell averaged 16.9 points and 23.9 rebounds per game,[1] leading his team to a regular season mark of 5722. [173] The art is by Ann Hirsch of Somerville, Massachusetts, in collaboration with Pressley Associates Landscape Architects of Boston. [13], Russell's life was marked by an uphill battle against racism and controversial actions and statements in response to racism. Russell's 6'9" frame also earned plenty of attention. I like most blacks because I am black." Chamberlain outscored Russell by 81 points in the series, but the Celtics walked off with a 42 series win. I refuse to smile and be nice to the kiddies. Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. Five times he was named the NBAs Most Valuable Player, and his 21,620 rebounds are second only to Chamberlains career mark. [197] Russell also had a shoe designed by Bristol Manufacturing Corporation in 1966, the Bill Russell Professional Basketball Shoe. [5] For his efforts, Russell was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Russell played 48 games, averaging 14.7 points per game and a league-high 19.6 rebounds per game. [60] Despite their different ethnic backgrounds and lack of common off-court interests, his relationship with Cousy was amicable. [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. The owner of the Hawks called Auerbach later and demanded more in the trade. In these eleven games, Russell averaged 18.3 points and 29.4 rebounds. He grew up in a racially segregated neighbourhood where his family was often subjected to rampant acts of racism.