To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. We won the National Championship. Russell regarded Auerbach as "the greatest of all coaches". 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. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Following Chamberlain's death in October 1999, Russell returned to prominence at the turn of the millennium. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. [172] The art is by Ann Hirsch of Somerville, Massachusetts, in collaboration with Pressley Associates Landscape Architects of Boston. [50], 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, K.C. Last sold in 2021 for 2.5M. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). } catch(err) {}, Check out these celebrities using high-intensity interval training (HIIT) methods. [109] 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. 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. Players are (left to right), backrow: Sam Jones; Jim Loscutoff; Gene Conley; Bill Russell; K.C. July 31, 2022 (age 88, Mercer Island, Washington, undisclosed causes) Active (Basketball) 1956-1969. [56] 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". [49] He excelled at playing man-to-man defense, blocking shots, and grabbing defensive rebounds. [155] In 1970, The Sporting News named Russell the "Athlete of the Decade". [115], As a consequence of his endured racist abuse, Russell was extremely sensitive to all racial prejudice. Bill Russell is saying goodbye to his Washington home after nearly 50 years. [20] Since Russell's previous experiences with white authority figures were often negative, warm words from Powles reassured him. That did not happen My junior year in college, I had what I thought was the one of the best college seasons ever. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Rules on Defense, Coach of Warriors Says", "The 'Coleman Play' introduced and defined Bill Russell's never-say-die leadership to Boston", "12 times NBA awards were pretty ridiculous", "Syracuse Nationals at Boston Celtics Box Score, February 5, 1960", "Boston Celtics at Philadelphia Warriors Box Score, November 24, 1960", "1960 NBA Finals Game 2: St. Louis Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, March 29, 1960", "1960 NBA Finals Game 7: St. Louis Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 9, 1960", "Celtics Give Sharman Championship Sendoff", "Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, April 16, 1962", "Boston Celtics Players to have recorded a triple-double", "1962 NBA Finals Game 7: Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 18, 1962", "Cincinnati Royals vs Boston Celtics Box Score, January 31, 1963", "Kennedy Greets Celtics, but Bill Russell Sleeps", "New York Knicks at Boston Celtics Box Score, February 10, 1963", "1963 NBA Finals Game 3: Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, April 17, 1963", "On this day: Pandemic pause anniversary; Russell's 49 boards; Potapenko trade", "Detroit Pistons vs Boston Celtics Box Score, March 11, 1965", "1968 Sportsman of the Year: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics coach-player", "Bill Russell Reported Favoring Movie Career", "Celtics legend Bill Russell receives second induction into Basketball Hall of Fame, as coach this time", "Successful, short-lived coaching days get Bill Russell into Hall again", "Bill Russell, NBA great and former Sonics coach, dies at 88", "Bill Russell Leaves Lasting Impact on Kings", "Watch Saturday Night Live Episode: November 3 Bill Russell", "Culture Now Is a Great Time to Read Bill Russell's Memoir", "Best Betting Scenes: Bill Russell Goes Rogue on 'Miami Vice', "Russell Redux: A Private Man Bursts Back Into the Public Eye", "Shaq heeds Russell's call for peace; Lakers hold on for win", "Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame to induct founding class", "Sports legend Bill Russell receives an honorary degree at the 2007 Suffolk University commencement", "Honorary degrees awarded at Commencement's Morning Exercises", "Dartmouth grads hear 'nose dive' warning", "Naismith and FIBA Hall of Fame: Full list of inductees enshrined at Springfield and Madrid", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement Sports", "The Finals MVP to Receive Bill Russell MVP Award", "All-Star Top 10, from Shaq's moves to boos for Spurs", "Kobe shows maturity of last seven years in leading Lakers to title", "Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients (Photos)", "Inside the Iconic Obama Basketball Games at the White House", "25 players that won a NCAA and NBA championship", "Jordan, Jabbar, Russell and Magic won NCAA and NBA titles, but it's become a rare feat", "Quick quiz: Only four players have been", "How Bill Russell's coaching career opened doors for NBA's Black head coaches", "Bill Russell: How historic success as the league's first Black coach paved the way for others", "NBA Legend Bill Russell Became First Black Coach In Pro Sports 46 Years Ago Today", "Biggest moments for NBA's 15 Greatest Coaches", "Top 10 NBA Players With The Most Finals And Regular Season MVPs Combined", "Ranking Every NBA All-Defensive First Team in History from Worst to First", "NBA 75: Bill Russell, 1960s Athlete of the Decade (TSN Archives)", "ESPN's 'SportsCentury' Goes Back-Back-Back", "Top N. American athletes of the century", "Daily Dime: Special Edition The game's greatest giants ever", "Ranking the top 74 NBA players of all time: Nos. "[60] Before the 196162 season, Russell's team was scheduled to play in an exhibition game in Lexington, Kentucky, when Russell and his black teammates were refused service at a local restaurant. Among his multitude of achievements, the 6-foot-10 Boston Celtics center from 1956-69 notched 11 NBA titles with the Celtics and was a five-time NBA most valuable player and a 12-time NBA all-star. Russell lived on Mercer Island for nearly 50 years. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Bill Russell, a Pro Basketball Hall of Famer, Boston Celtics legend, and icon of American sports, has died at the age of 88.
based on information from your browser. Since his retirement Bill Russell has lived on Mercer Island, Lake Washington, near Seattle. [109], For most of his career, Russell and his perennial opponent Wilt Chamberlain were close friends. Russell remarried Marilyn Nault, his third wife, in 1996, and they were married until her demise in January 2009. [44] Like fellow world-class high-jumpers of that era, Russell used the straddle technique, rather than the Fosbury Flop with which all high jump world records after 1978 have been set. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Both Cousy and Russell called it the greatest Celtics team of all-time. 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. "[49], In the 195960 NBA season, the NBA witnessed the debut of 7ft 1in (2.16m) Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged a record 37.6 points per game in his rookie year. [78] At that time, he became the fourth player in Celtics history to have a triple-double, joining Macauley, Cousy, and K. C. Chamberlain outscored Russell by 81 points in the series, but the Celtics walked off with a 42 series win. [61] 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. [5] Chamberlain said Russell's timing as a shot-blocker was unparalleled. He was a friend of players, celebrities and Presidents. [61] Russell scored 21 points and grabbed an NBA Finals-record 40 rebounds, plus an assist, in a Game 2 loss,[73] and he added 22 points and 35 rebounds, along with 4 assists,[74] in the deciding Game 7, a 122103 victory for Boston. There is a problem with your email/password. oh shyt damnRIP fukk lived a long and storied life still saddening to hear he's passed tho *edit* didn't realize he was 88still thought he was in his 70s 6 to be retired across NBA following legend's death last month", "Chat Transcript: Celtics Legend Bill Russell", "Russell 'So good, he scares you' Mikan", "Bill Russell Named Boston Celtic Coach; Basketball Star To Draw $125,001 Salary a Record for a Pro Coach or Manager He'll Take over Next Season", "Who's Better At Hoops: Bill Russell Or Frank Robinson? Russell retires and settles in Mercer Island, Wash. The former couple met while attending college and she became Bill Russell's first wife. 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. [208] 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. [5] The Russell draft-day trade was later called one of the most important trades in the history of North American sports. Russell remains the NBA star with the maximum number of NBA championships, a record most consider unbreakable now. He went on to star for the Celtics for fourteen years, four of them as a player-coach, before retiring in 1969. 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. [197], 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. 4 in a similar list by The Athletic. 1 in NBA history for defensive win shares at 133.6, with Tim Duncan in second at 106.3. 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. He also served a three-season (19661969) stint as player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first black coach in the NBA and the first to win a championship. Russell described himself as an avid reader of Dell Magazines' 1950s sports publications, which he used to scout opponents' moves for the purpose of defending against them. 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