Bill Russell - # 285

NBA legend Bill Russell dies at 88

Celtics icon, Hall of Famer and 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell died 'peacefully' at the age of 88, his family confirmed Sunday.

 

He was number 285 on the list.

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 civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., died Sunday. He was 88.

His family posted the news on social media, saying Russell died with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. The statement did not give the cause of death.

“Bill’s wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you for keeping Bill in your prayers. Perhaps you’ll relive one or two of the golden moments he gave us, or recall his trademark laugh as he delighted in explaining the real story behind how those moments unfolded,” the family statement said. “And we hope each of us can find a new way to act or speak up with Bill’s uncompromising, dignified and always constructive commitment to principle. That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that Russell was “the greatest champion in all of team sports.”

“Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps,” Silver said. “Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

A Hall of Famer, five-time Most Valuable Player and 12-time All-Star, Russell in 1980 was voted the greatest player in the NBA history by basketball writers. He remains the sport’s most prolific winner as a player and an archetype of selflessness who won with defense and rebounding while leaving the scoring to others. Often, that meant Wilt Chamberlain, the only player of the era who was a worthy rival for Russell.

But Russell dominated in the only stat he cared about: 11 championships to two.

The native of Louisiana also left a lasting mark as a Black athlete in a city — and country — where race is often a flash point. He was at the March on Washington in 1963, when King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, and he backed Muhammad Ali when the boxer was pilloried for refusing induction into the military draft.

“To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionize the way the game is played, and to be a societal leader all at once seems unthinkable, but that is who Bill Russell was,” the Boston Celtics said in a statement.

In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Medal of Freedom alongside Congressman John Lewis, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and baseball great Stan Musial.

“Bill Russell, the man, is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men,” Obama said at the ceremony. “He marched with King; he stood by Ali. When a restaurant refused to serve the Black Celtics, he refused to play in the scheduled game. He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players and made possible the success of so many who would follow.”

Following news of his death, many NBA stars reflected on Russell’s impact and legacy. Michael Jordan described Russell to be “a pioneer – as a player, as a champion, as the NBA’s first Black head coach and as an activist.”

“He paved the way and set an example for every Black player who came into the league after him, including me. The world has lost a legend. My condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.”

Russell said that when he was growing up in the segregated South and later California his parents instilled in him the calm confidence that allowed him to brush off racist taunts.

“Years later, people asked me what I had to go through,” Russell said in 2008. “Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’ve never been through anything. From my first moment of being alive was the notion that my mother and father loved me.” It was Russell’s mother who would tell him to disregard comments from those who might see him playing in the yard.

“Whatever they say, good or bad, they don’t know you,” he recalled her saying. “They’re wrestling with their own demons.”

But it was Jackie Robinson who gave Russell a road map for dealing with racism in his sport: “Jackie was a hero to us. He always conducted himself as a man. He showed me the way to be a man in professional sports.”

The feeling was mutual, Russell learned, when Robinson’s widow, Rachel, called and asked him to be a pallbearer at her husband’s funeral in 1972.

“She hung the phone up and I asked myself, ‘How do you get to be a hero to Jackie Robinson?’” Russell said. “I was so flattered.”

William Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. He was a child when his family moved to the West Coast, and he went to high school in Oakland, California, and then the University of San Francisco. He led the Dons to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956 and won a gold medal in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympics in Australia.

Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach so coveted Russell that he worked out a trade with the St. Louis Hawks for the second pick in the draft. He promised the Rochester Royals, who owned the No. 1 pick, a lucrative visit by the Ice Capades, which were also run by Celtics owner Walter Brown.

Still, Russell arrived in Boston to complaints that he wasn’t that good. “People said it was a wasted draft choice, wasted money,” he recalled. “They said, ‘He’s no good. All he can do is block shots and rebound.’ And Red said, ‘That’s enough.’”

The Celtics also picked up Tommy Heinsohn and K.C. Jones, Russell’s college teammate, in the same draft. Although Russell joined the team late because he was leading the U.S. to the Olympic gold, Boston finished the regular season with the league’s best record.

The Celtics won the NBA championship — their first of 17 — in a double-overtime seventh game against Bob Pettit’s St. Louis Hawks. Russell won his first MVP award the next season, but the Hawks won the title in a finals rematch. The Celtics won it all again in 1959, starting an unprecedented string of eight consecutive NBA crowns.

A 6-foot-10 center, Russell never averaged more than 18.9 points during his 13 seasons, each year averaging more rebounds per game than points. For 10 seasons he averaged more than 20 rebounds. He once had 51 rebounds in a game; Chamberlain holds the record with 55.

Auerbach retired after winning the 1966 title, and Russell became the player-coach — the first Black head coach in NBA history, and almost a decade before Frank Robinson took over baseball’s Cleveland Indians. Boston finished with the second-best regular-season record in the NBA, and its title streak ended with a loss to Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Division finals.

Russell led the Celtics back to titles in 1968 and ’69, each time winning seven-game playoff series against Chamberlain. Russell retired after the ’69 finals, returning for a relatively successful — but unfulfilling — four-year stint as coach and GM of the Seattle SuperSonics and a less fruitful half season as coach of the Sacramento Kings.

Russell’s No. 6 jersey was retired by the Celtics in 1972. He earned spots on the NBA’s 25th anniversary all-time team in 1970, 35th anniversary team in 1980 and 75th anniversary team. In 1996, he was hailed as one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players.

In 2009, the MVP trophy of the NBA Finals was named in his honor — even though Russell never won himself, because it wasn’t awarded for the first time until 1969. Russell, however, traditionally presented the trophy for many years, the last time in 2019 to Kawhi Leonard; Russell was not there in 2020 because of the NBA bubble nor in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns.

In 2013, a statue was unveiled on Boston’s City Hall Plaza of Russell surrounded by blocks of granite with quotes on leadership and character. Russell was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 but did not attend the ceremony, saying he should not have been the first African American elected. (Chuck Cooper, the NBA’s first Black player, was his choice.)

In 2019, Russell accepted his Hall of Fame ring in a private gathering. “I felt others before me should have had that honor,” he tweeted. “Good to see progress.”

Silver said he “often called (Russell) basketball’s Babe Ruth for how he transcended time.”

“Bill was the ultimate winner and consummate teammate, and his influence on the NBA will be felt forever,” Silver added. “We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Jeannine, his family and his many friends.”

Russell played in the wake of black pioneers Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Nat Sweetwater Clifton, and he was the first black player to achieve superstar status in the NBA. He also served a three-season (1966–69) stint as player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first black coach in the NBA and the first to win a championship.

During his early years, Russell struggled to develop his skills as a basketball player. Although Russell was a good runner and jumper and had large hands, he did not understand the game and was cut from the team at Herbert Hoover Junior High School. As a freshman at McClymonds High School in Oakland, Russell was almost cut again; as he saw Russell's raw athletic potential, coach George Powles encouraged him to work on his fundamentals. Since Russell's previous experiences with white authority figures were often negative, warm words from his coach reassured him. He worked hard and used the benefits of a growth spurt to become a decent basketball player. Frank Robinson, a future member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, was one of Russell's high school basketball teammates.

Russell became the first of only four players in basketball history to win an NCAA championship and an NBA championship back-to-back, the others being Henry Bibby, Magic Johnson, and Billy Thompson.

On February 14, 2009, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award would be renamed the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his honor as an 11-time NBA champion. During halftime of the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Celtics captains Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce presented Russell a surprise birthday cake for his 75th birthday. Russell attended Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals to present Kobe Bryant the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. Russell and Bryant were spectators to a basketball game for Obama's 50th birthday at the White House tennis court. 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.

His family said that arrangements for Russell’s memorial service will be announced in the coming days.

Actor (8 credits)

 1986 Miami Vice (TV Series)

Judge Roger Ferguson

- The Fix (1986) ... Judge Roger Ferguson (as William F. Russell)

 1981 On the Right Track

Robert

 1981 The White Shadow (TV Series)

Bill Russell

- B.M.O.C. (1981) ... Bill Russell

 1973 Love, American Style (TV Series)

Mayfield (segment "Love and the Flunky")

- Love and the Cozy Comrades/Love and the Flunky/Love and the Hoodwinked Honey/Love and the Secret Spouse (1973) ... Mayfield (segment "Love and the Flunky")

 1971-1972 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (TV Series)

Guest Performer

- Sandy Duncan, Joe Namath, Jo Ann Pflug, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jean Stapleton (1972) ... Guest Performer (uncredited)

- Vida Blue, Johnny Carson, Roman Gabriel, Andy Granatelli, Joe Namath, Sugar Ray Robinson, Bill Russell, Doug Sanders, Vin Scully, Jill St. John, Willie Shoemaker (1971) ... Guest Performer

 1971 The Bill Cosby Show (TV Series)

Male Teacher #1

- The Sesame Street Rumble (1971) ... Male Teacher #1

 1968 It Takes a Thief (TV Series)

George the Butler

- The Thingamabob Heist (1968) ... George the Butler (as William 'Bill' Russell)

 1967 Cowboy in Africa (TV Series)

Jasiri / the ranch hand

- The Time of the Predator (1967) ... Jasiri / the ranch hand

Hide Hide Thanks (1 credit)

 1979 Pacific Inferno (special thanks)

Hide Hide Self (71 credits)

 2018-2022 The NBA on TNT (TV Series)

Self

- 2022 NBA All-Star Game (2022)

- NBA All Star Game 2018 (2018) ... Self

 2021 CBS Mornings (TV Series)

Self

- Episode dated 3 December 2021 (2021) ... Self

 2021 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony (TV Special)

Self - Attendee

 2020 Stars in the House (TV Series)

Self

- Cast of "Elegies" Reunion (2020) ... Self

 2019 The 2019 ESPY Awards (TV Special)

Self - Honoree

 2018 Shut Up and Dribble (TV Series documentary)

Self

- 101 (2018) ... Self

 2018 Legends (Video documentary short)

Self

 2014-2017 30 for 30 (TV Series documentary)

Self

- Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies, Part 1 (2017)

- When the Garden Was Eden (2014) ... Self

 2003-2011 NBA Hardwood Classics (TV Series)

Self / Self - Announcer

- 1962 All-Star Game (2011) ... Self

- Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game 6 - 1963 Finals (2005) ... Self

- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: 1980 Finals, Game 6 (2003) ... Self - Announcer

 2010 On the Shoulders of Giants: The Story of the Greatest Team You Never Heard Of (Documentary)

Self

 2009 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (TV Series)

Self - Former Basketball Player (segment "Legends")

- Legends/Underwater Heroes/Broken Nails (2009) ... Self - Former Basketball Player (segment "Legends")

 2007-2009 The Daily Show (TV Series)

Self

- Bill Russell (2009) ... Self

- Richard Jadick (2007) ... Self

 2005-2009 Tavis Smiley (TV Series)

Self

- Episode dated 22 May 2009 (2009) ... Self

- Episode dated 21 October 2005 (2005) ... Self

 2008 Find Yourself a Dream: The Bob Love Story (Video documentary)

Self

 2008 Fathers of the Sport (Documentary)

Self

 2007 NBA: Soul of the game (Short)

Self

 2006 Greatest Moments in NBA History (Video documentary)

Self - Boston Celtics (1956-69)

 2005 Costas Now (TV Series)

Self

- Episode #1.8 (2005) ... Self

 2005 Iconoclasts (TV Series documentary)

- Samuel L. Jackson on Bill Russell (2005)

 2005 History Rings True: Red Sox Opening Day Ring Ceremony (Video documentary)

Self - Ceremonial First Pitch Tosser

 2004 The George Michael Sports Machine (TV Series)

Self

- Episode dated 13 June 2004 (2004) ... Self

 2004 Late Show with David Letterman (TV Series)

Self

- Episode dated 25 May 2004 (2004) ... Self (uncredited)

 2004 The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (TV Series)

Self

- Episode dated 11 May 2004 (2004) ... Self

 2002 Jim Brown: All American (TV Movie documentary)

Self - NBA, Hall of Famer

 2001 Charlie Rose (TV Series)

Self - Guest

- Episode dated 11 May 2001 (2001) ... Self - Guest

 2000 Bill Russell: My Life, My Way (TV Movie documentary)

Self

 2000 Sports Geniuses (TV Series)

Self

- Episode #1.3 (2000) ... Self (uncredited)

 1999 NBA 100 Greatest Plays (Video documentary)

Self - Boston Celtics (1956-69)

 1999 ESPN SportsCentury (TV Series documentary)

Self

- Bill Russell (1999) ... Self

 1996 NBA at 50 (TV Movie documentary)

Self

 1996 The Journey of the African-American Athlete (TV Movie documentary)

Self

 1992 NBA All-Star Stay in School Jam (TV Movie)

Self

 1986 Don Rickles: Rickles on the Loose (TV Special)

Self

 1986 The 1986 Goodwill Games (TV Mini Series)

Self - Commentator

 1983 The 1983 NBA Finals (TV Mini Series)

Self - Color Commentator

- Game 1 (1983) ... Self - Color Commentator

 1983 1983 NBA All-Star Game (TV Special)

Self

 1982 1982 NBA Finals (TV Mini Series)

Self - Color Commentator

- Game 2 (1982) ... Self - Color Commentator

- Game 1 (1982) ... Self - Color Commentator

 1982 Greatest Sports Legends (TV Series)

Self

- Bill Russell (1982) ... Self

 1982 1982 NBA All-Star Game (TV Special)

Self

 1981 The NBA on CBS (TV Series)

Self - Color Commentator

- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns (1981) ... Self - Color Commentator

 1981 The 1981 NBA Finals (TV Mini Series)

Self - Color Commentator

 1981 The John Davidson Show (TV Series)

Self

- Episode dated 24 March 1981 (1981) ... Self

 1981 1981 NBA All-Star Game (TV Special)

Self - Color Commentator

 1980 The 1980 NBA Finals (TV Mini Series)

Self - Color Commenttor

 1966-1979 The Mike Douglas Show (TV Series)

Self - Basketball Player / Self - Pro Basketball Player / Self - Ex-NBA Star

- Episode #19.50 (1979) ... Self - Basketball Player

- Episode #14.16 (1974) ... Self - Pro Basketball Player

- Episode #9.160 (1970) ... Self - Ex-NBA Star

- Episode #8.210 (1969) ... Self - Pro Basketball Player

- Episode #5.142 (1966) ... Self - Basketball Player

 1979 Saturday Night Live (TV Series)

Self - Host / Various

- Bill Russell/Chicago (1979) ... Self - Host / Various

 1972-1979 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV Series)

Self / Self - Guest

- Episode dated 9 October 1979 (1979) ... Self - Guest

- Episode dated 28 May 1973 (1973) ... Self

- Episode dated 14 June 1972 (1972) ... Self

 1973 A Salute To Humble Howard (TV Special)

Self

 1973 Sports Challenge (TV Series)

Self

- Boston Celtics versus Washington Senators (1973) ... Self

 1973 1973 NBA All-Star Game (TV Special)

Self - Color Commentator

 1972 Flip (TV Series)

Self

- Episode #3.5 (1972) ... Self

 1972 Soul Train (TV Series)

Guest

- Eddie Kendricks/The Whispers (1972) ... Guest

 1972 The Dick Cavett Show (TV Series)

Self - Guest Host

- Episode dated 16 March 1972 (1972) ... Self - Guest Host

 1972 1972 NBA All-Star Game (TV Special)

Self - Color Commentator

 1971 Goin' Back to Indiana (TV Special)

Self

 1968-1971 The Merv Griffin Show (TV Series)

Self / Self - basketball player

- Sports Figures (1971) ... Self

- Guest Host: Chuck Connors; guests: Bill Russell, George Carlin, Lainie Kazan, Anne Marie Bennstrom (1971) ... Self - basketball player

- Guest host: Nipsey Russell; guests: Peter Lind Hayes, Alejandro Rey, Harold Dumont, Lillian Briggs, Bill Russell, Alan Lee (1969) ... Self

- Jack Carter, Ann Miller, Gabriel Dell, Huntz Hall, Maureen Arthur, Norm Crosby, Bill Russell, Lee Meza, Stiller & Meara (1968) ... Self

 1971 The Kraft Music Hall (TV Series)

Self

- Locker Room Follies (1971) ... Self

 1970 Life with Linkletter (TV Series)

Self - basketball legend

- Bill Russell, Fred Steckling (1970) ... Self - basketball legend

- Bill Russell (1970) ... Self - basketball legend

 1969-1970 Philbin's People (TV Series)

Self

- Episode #1.25 (1970) ... Self

- Episode #1.1 (1969) ... Self

 1969 Playboy After Dark (TV Series)

Self

- Episode #1.24 (1969) ... Self

 1969 The Joey Bishop Show (TV Series)

Self

- Episode #3.235 (1969) ... Self

 1969 1969 NBA All-Star Game (TV Special)

Self

 1968 The Woody Woodbury Show (TV Series)

Self - Guest

- Episode #1.217 (1968) ... Self - Guest

 1968 1968 NBA All-Star Game (TV Special)

Self - Eastern Conference Center

 1966 The 1966 NBA Finals (TV Mini Series)

Self - Boston Celtics Center

- Game 2 (1966) ... Self - Boston Celtics Center

- Game 1 (1966) ... Self - Boston Celtics Center

 1965 The 1965 NBA Finals (TV Mini Series)

Self

- Game 1 (1965) ... Self

 1959 The Ed Sullivan Show (TV Series)

Self

- Episode #13.5 (1959) ... Self

 1957 The 1957 NBA Finals (TV Series)

Self

 1956 Basketball Headliners (Short)

Self (uncredited)

 1950 Basketball Headliners of 1950 (Short)

Self - U. of San Francisco Player

 1936 Olympic Games (TV Series)

Self - Basketball Commentator (voice)