His family said on social media that Russell died on Sunday, 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. [135] He was named as a 2010 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Bill Russell, the NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years - the last two as the first Black head coach in any major US sport - and marched for. When Chamberlain died in 1999, Chamberlain's nephew said that Russell was the second person he was told to call. [33], The games were often difficult for the USF squad, as Russell and his black teammates became targets of racist jeers, particularly on the road. Russell wore his Presidential Medal of Freedom and the image was captioned: "Proud to take a knee, and to stand tall against social injustice." [107], Days later, 30,000 Celtics fans cheered their returning heroes. [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's daughter, Karen, was born in 1962. Auerbach had informed his players to not endorse candidates or causes, as it would alienate fans; Cousy campaigned for Ted Kennedy in 1962. He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers), are grandfatheredthey may keep the number until they voluntarily change it or retirebut the number will not be issued again to a new player. UCLA Bruins coach John Wooden called Russell "the greatest defensive man I've ever seen". She was born on January 20, 1962. Advertisement. These statues were modeled by a local boy from Somerville and multiple girls from the surrounding area. [207] 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. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. [96], Celtics coach Red Auerbach retired before the 196667 NBA season. Rose Swisher (1956-1973) - Bill began dating his college acquaintance Rose Swisher in 1956, his senior year in college. He also served a three-season (196669) stint as player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first black coach in the NBA and the first to win a championship. Russell was born on February 12, 1934, to Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana.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. "Bill's wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you . In the year 1977, Bill got the divorce from his wife and married, Miss USA named, Dorothy Anstett. He passed away peacefully with . 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. [180] In 1996, Russell married his third wife, Marilyn Nault;[181] their marriage lasted until her death in January 2009. [154] In 1970, The Sporting News named Russell the "Athlete of the Decade". [183][184] He was a resident of Mercer Island, Washington, for over four decades. [56] Russell never had to work part-time. 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. Russell responded to the honor by tweeting, Just found out I will be receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. William Felton "Bill" Russell was an American professional basketball player. The Hall of Famer was 88. "[152] 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. K. C. Jones did not play for the Celtics until 1958 because of military service. Tonight, Bill Russell will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2019 ESPYs, which honor the biggest and best stars in the world of sports. 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. I was first team All American. Dorothy, according to a 1968 Associated Press article, was one of nine children of an aircraft plant worker. [124], Russell made few public appearances in the early 1990s, living as a near-recluse on Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle. Both of them had three children together. Bill Russell, the NBA great who began his career in Oakland, anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 yearsthe last two as the first Black head coach in any major U.S. sportand marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., died Sunday. [187] 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. [44] Like fellow world-class high-jumpers of that era, Russell did not use the Fosbury Flop high-jump technique with which all high jump world records after 1978 have been set. Bill Russell married his college Girlfriend Rose Swisher in 1956 and had one daughter named Karen Russell and two sons named William Russell Jr & Jacob Russell from the wedlock. "We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Jeannine, his family and his many friends." His family said that arrangements for Russell's memorial service will be announced in the coming days. 6 for most regular season MVPNBA Finals MVP awards, despite the latter being assigned only since 1969. He was born on November 2, 1957 and worked for Cox Trucking for several years. "[5] After the Division Finals, the Celtics had an easier time in the NBA Finals,[95] winning 41 against the Los Angeles Lakers. According to Taylor, he often perceived insults even if others did not. [1] While his rival had a record-breaking season of 50.4 points per game, including Chamberlain's 100-point game,[67] the Celtics became the first team to win 60 games in a season and Russell was voted as the league's MVP. [94] 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. [223], 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. Chamberlain outscored Russell by 81 points in the series, but the Celtics walked off with a 42 series win. Jones. 2. Bill Russell was born to Charles and Katie Russell on February 12, 2022, in West Monroe, Louisiana. He won more championships than any other NBA player and made the Boston Celtics one of the most successful franchises in the league's history. The 11-time NBA champion had been dealing with health issues in recent years, sources said. "[200], Russell was driven by "a neurotic need to win", as his Celtic teammate Tom Heinsohn observed. Ensa, 44, died of renal failure on Friday, leaving behind a husband and . Russell's Celtics went 5737 in the regular season against Chamberlain's teams and 2920 in the playoffs, Chamberlain's losing seven of the eight series. [107] West then hit one basket after the other and cut the lead to one, and Chamberlain asked to return to the game. [60] He alienated Celtics fans by saying: "You owe the public the same it owes you, nothing! After USF kept Holy Cross Crusaders star Tom Heinsohn scoreless in an entire half,[31] Sports Illustrated wrote: "If [Russell] ever learns to hit the basket, they're going to have to rewrite the rules. [47], The Harlem Globetrotters invited Russell to join their exhibition basketball squad. Television Pundit and Lawyer Karen Russell is the only daughter of Bill Russell. 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. "[99][214] As a result of repeated racial bigotry, Russell refused to respond to fan acclaim or friendship from his neighbors, thinking it was insincere and hypocritical. Here's what we know about his kids and family. He later commented that he would have participated in the high jump if he had been snubbed by the basketball team. Karen has served as the Development Director for the Robert F Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights and has also contributed to publications like The New York Times. Woolpert emphasized defense and deliberate half-court play, which favored Russell's exceptional defensive skills. I was able to separate the Celtics institution from the city and the fans. [224], 19561958: Rookie champion and early years, 19581966: Eight straight NBA championships, 19661969: Player-coach champion and final years, Racist abuse, controversy, and relationship with Boston fans. [159] In 2009, Slam named him the third best player of all-time behind Jordan and Chamberlain. [88] In Game 3, Russell had 21 points, 38 rebounds, and 6 assists. Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. "The definitive bio-doc on NBA Legend Bill Russell, the greatest champion in the history of American sports, and a true Civil Rights icon. [115], As a consequence of his endured racist abuse, Russell was extremely sensitive to all racial prejudice. 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. Karen graduated from Harward Law School and has dissected high-profile trials and national political issues. [49][89], In the 196364 NBA season, the Celtics posted a league-best 5822 record in the regular season. Russell limited Chamberlain to only two shot attempts in the second half. [60], 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,[61] where the Celtics met with the Syracuse Nationals, a team led by Dolph Schayes, through the Eastern Division Finals. Jacob H. Russell was born on July 6, 1959 and lives in Renton, Washington with his 44-year-old wife Sara Marckx Russell. [114] He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. Bill Russell, the NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years the last two as the first Black head coach in any major U.S. sport and marched for . She graduated as an English Major from the University of Washington. In the 1961 NBA playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Syracuse Nationals 41 in the Eastern Division Finals. 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. The burglars had poured beer on the pool table and ripped up the felt," Karen wrote in the . In the 1959 NBA Finals, the Celtics recaptured the NBA title, sweeping the Minneapolis Lakers 40. Russell said he was "proud of my grandfather's heroic dignity against forces more powerful than him he would not allow himself to be oppressed or intimidated by anyone." In the piece, she explains how she experienced such privilege in her life at times, but how she was also met with periods of intense racism and sexism. BOSTON (AP) Bill Russell never had to find his voice as an activist. He said: "The Celtics were the first [NBA basketball] team to draft a black player, period: a guy named Chuck Cooper from Duquesne. [109][219], Russell refused to attend the ceremony when his jersey No. While Saperstein spoke to Woolpert in a meeting, Globetrotters assistant coach Harry Hanna tried to entertain Russell with jokes, but he was livid after this snub and declined the offer. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. Bill Russell. He Had Three Children with His First Wife Together, Russell and Swisher had three children: daughter Karen, and sons William Jr. and. [191], During his career, Russell was one of the first big earners in NBA basketball. Particularly if you live a long life. 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. [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". He shared all three kids with his first wife Rose Swisher. Russell died Sunday at the age of 88, with his wife, Jeannine, at his side, his family said in a statement posted on social media. Birth Place: A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a 12-time NBA All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career. "[5] The Sixers outpaced the Celtics when they shredded the famed Boston defense by scoring 140 points in the clinching Game 5 win. The Internal Revenue Service discovered that Russell owed $34,430 in tax money and put a lien on his house. Russell died on Sunday at the age of 88 with his wife Jeannine by his side, his family said in a statement on Twitter. In a game called as "unreal" and "devoid of emotion", the Sixers lost 127118 on April 5. I like most blacks because I am black." He was a standout in the high jump and according to Track & Field News was ranked the seventh-best high-jumper in the world in 1956, his graduation year, despite not competing in Olympic high-jump competition. [118] Russell then served as general manager of the Kings during the 198889 season. Boston then beat the Los Angeles Lakers 42 in the 1968 NBA Finals, giving Russell his tenth title in twelve years. He is said to have made a conscious decision to put the team first and foremost, and not worry about individual achievements. "[5][120] On November 3, 1979, Russell hosted Saturday Night Live, in which he appeared in several sports-related sketches. [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 the honor. At 85 years old, he is still active going to watch basketball games with his wife Jeannine Russell, as he shows in his Instagram account. "[49], The Celtics swept the Nationals in three games to earn the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance in the 1957 NBA Finals,[62] where they met the St. Louis Hawks, led by Pettit and former Celtic Ed Macauley. He is depicted in-game, surrounded by 11 plinths representing the 11 championships he helped the Celtics win. [130] On June 18, 2007, Russell was inducted as a member of the founding class of the FIBA Hall of Fame. [98] Third choice Tom Heinsohn also said no because he did not think he could handle the often surly Russell,[98] whom he proposed as a player-coach. NBA legend Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and the first Black head coach in the league, passed away "peacefully" Sunday, according to a family statement from. [110] 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. [52], Due to his Olympic commitment, Russell could not join the Celtics for the 195657 NBA season until December. . [5] Russell was elected to one NBA All-Defensive First Team. During a press conference, Russell was asked: "As the first Negro head coach in a major league sport, can you do the job impartially without any racial prejudice in reverse?" The game was tied with two seconds left when Sam Jones sank a clutch shot that won the Celtics the series. [220] On November 15, 2019, Russell accepted the Hall of Fame ring in a private ceremony with family. [204] At the time his additional role of coach was announced, Russell publicly stated he believed Red Auerbach's impact as a coach, regarding him as the greatest of all coaches, confined every or almost every relationship with each Celtic player to a strictly professional one. Both Cousy and Russell called it the greatest Celtics team of all-time. Russell was also known as a pioneer in the fight for civil rights, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and speaking out about his treatment as a Black player in a city and country where race was often a flash point. In Game 6, Russell recorded his first career triple-double with 19 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Celtics won 119105. The Celtics won, earning their first NBA championship. "[101] The game still ended on a high note for Russell. [144] He also won two state championships in high school. -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Please watch: "FULL KYRIE IRVING and GORDON HAYWARD CELTICS Press Conference" youtube.com/watch?v=f7FoDj4-Nzw -~-~~-~~~-~~-~-, Karen Rusell penned an article for the New York Times. Auerbach, Red and John Feinstein. Posted at 11:33 AM, Jul 31, 2022. and last updated 3:37 PM, Jul 31, 2022. A morass to fight from. [5], For his achievements, Russell was named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated in 1968. I was the MVP at the Final Four. Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in the history of American sports, died Sunday. The couple grew emotionally distant and divorced. Russell's daughter, Karen, is a. Russell, who had a difficult relationship with the media, did not attend either ceremony. "[27] In an autobiographical account, Russell said that while on a California High School All-Stars tour, he became obsessed with studying and memorizing other players' moves, e.g., footwork such as which foot they moved first on which play, as preparation for defending against them, which included practicing in front of a mirror at night. 6 was retired in 1972; he also refused to attend his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1975. [109], For most of his career, Russell and his perennial opponent Wilt Chamberlain were close friends. 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. "[49] The next day, The Boston Globe read: "Russell's Reflexes Befuddles Visitors. [153] 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). [211] 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. She works as an attorney, corporate trainer, and political strategist, according to the Huffington Post. Russell also had seven regular-season games with 40 or more rebounds, the NBA Finals record for highest rebound per game average (29.5, 1959) and by a rookie (22.9, 1957). 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. Bill Russell's death led to a tremendous outpouring of condolences from the NBA world on Sunday. The . [215] He was quoted as saying: "From my very first year I thought of myself as playing for the Celtics, not for Boston. NBA Legend Bill Russell receives the 2017 NBA Lifetime Achievement Award. [5] For his efforts, Russell was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Despite going through numerous struggles, he managed to stay strong and make the most out of the opportunity that was given to him. . "[164] In 2000, his longtime teammate Tom Heinsohn described both Russell's stature and his uneasy relationship with Boston more earthily, saying: "Look, all I know is the guy came to Boston and won 11 championships in 13 years, and they named a bleeping tunnel after Ted Williams. Bill Russell, the intimidating center who rejected layups and bigotry with equal authority while leading the Boston Celtics to pro basketball's greatest dynasty, died Sunday, his family . Been dealing with health issues in recent years, sources said that he would have participated the... 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