I could always be myself with them and they were always there for me. "[202], Russell was driven by "a neurotic need to win", as his Celtic teammate Tom Heinsohn observed. 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? [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. 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. He is said to have made a conscious decision to put the team first and foremost, and not worry about individual achievements. [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. (embedded photo)", "Rare Photos of Bill Russell (third photo in gallery", "Eight players who have won NCAA, NBA, and Olympic titles", "2003 draft eventually may be best in history", "Philadelphia Warriors vs Boston Celtics Box Score, January 1, 1957", "Russell of Celtics Violates N.B.A. In protest, the whole team decided to camp out in a closed college dorm, which was later called an important bonding experience for the group. [44] Like fellow world-class high-jumpers of that era, Russell did not use the Fosbury Flop technique with which all high jump world records after 1978 have been set. [137] 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. In these eleven games, Russell averaged 18.3 points and 29.4 rebounds. The Celtics won, earning their first NBA championship. "[218] Referring to a time when the Celtics did not frequently sell out the Boston Garden, while the generally mediocre and all-white NHL Boston Bruins did, Russell recalled: "We [the Celtics] did a survey about what we could do to improve attendance. Russell was offered the role of player-coach, which he acceptedmaking him the first African-American NBA coach. Over the course of his 13-year NBA career, Russell steered the club to 11 titles. [51] He had the option to skip the tournament and play a full season for the Celtics, but he was determined to play in the Olympics. Many people thought that Russell was more important even though he had only played half the season. Auerbach replied that Gottlieb's statements were "absolutely ridiculous" and said any controversy was "a question of sour grapes". He last led the Sacramento Kings as president of basketball operations in the late 1980s. [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. [174] The statue was unveiled on November 1, 2013, with Russell in attendance. My wife and Russell's laugh. Prior to Game 5, no NBA team had ever come back from a 31 deficit. [97], Celtics coach Red Auerbach retired before the 196667 NBA season. [1] The NBA reasoned that other centers were better all-round players than Russell but no player was more valuable to his team. He shared all three kids with his first wife Rose Swisher. [57] Russell's defense was called into question by Eddie Gottlieb, coach of the Philadelphia Warriors, after the WarriorsCeltics game on January 1, 1957, in which he recorded 17 points and 25 rebounds, plus an assist. He was the son of Katie and Charles Russell. [172] Each plinth features a key word and related quote to illustrate Russell's multiple accomplishments. At age 35, Russell contributed with 6 points, 21 rebounds, and 6 assists in his last NBA game. Auerbach agreed to trade Macauley, who had previously asked to be traded to St. Louis in order to be with his sick son, if the Hawks gave up Russell. [5] Russell is the all-time playoff leader in total (4,104) and average (24.9) rebounds per game, he grabbed 40 rebounds in three separate playoff games (twice in the NBA Finals), and he never failed to average at least 20 rebounds per game in any of his thirteen playoff campaigns. [28], Russell was ignored by college recruiters and received not one offer until recruiter Hal DeJulio from the University of San Francisco (USF) watched him play in a high school game. The fans could do or think whatever they wanted. [126], Russell made few public appearances in the early 1990s, living as a near-recluse on Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle. I could hear anything, I could see anything, and nothing mattered. Nothing went on outside the borders of the court. moved his family over to Oakland, California, where he looked for some employment at a shipyard. [1] Before the January 31, 1963, 18-point, 22-rebound performance in a 128125 win against the Cincinnati Royals at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland,[84] the Celtics were to tour the White House and Russell had a "Do not disturb" sign on his phone. A cause of death wasnt given, nor did a family statement say where he died. When Russell was 10, his father, Charlie, fed up with trying to navigate a racially charged South, moved his family across the country to Oakland, California, where he found work at a shipyard. [57] In previous years, the Celtics had been a high-scoring team but lacked the defensive presence needed to close out tight games. William Felton Russell was born on February 12th in 1934. [165], Of Russell, former NBA player and head coach Don Nelson said: "There are two types of superstars. Considered one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. [5] In addition, Russell holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most rebounds (40, March 29, 1960, vs. St. Louis, and April 18, 1962, vs. Los Angeles), most rebounds in a quarter (19, April 18, 1962, vs. Los Angeles), and most consecutive games with 20 or more rebounds (15 from April 9, 1960 April 16, 1963). [108] West then hit one basket after the other and cut the lead to one, and Chamberlain asked to return to the game. He is one of just two NBA players (the other being prominent rival Wilt Chamberlain) to have grabbed more than 50 rebounds in a game. [158], On August 11, 2022, it was announced that Russell's No. 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 "[215], In 1966, Russell was promoted to head coach of the Celtics. [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. He grew up in a racially segregated neighbourhood where his family was often subjected to rampant acts of racism. [111] Russell notified Auerbach that he was resigning to join a career in television and movies "in order to find new sources of income for the future". He played 48 games with an average of 14.7 points per game and 19.6 rebounds per game. In 2010 Russell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the countrys highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama. [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. His time as a non-player coach was lackluster; he led the struggling SuperSonics into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, but Russell's defensive, team-oriented Celtics mindset did not mesh well with the team, and he left in 1977 with a 162166 record. [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. [68][109] The Celtics held on for a 108106 victory and Russell claimed his eleventh championship in thirteen years. [50], The Celtics lost Cousy to retirement after the 196263 NBA season, and they drafted John Havlicek and were powered by Russell, who averaged 16.8 points and 23.6 rebounds per game, won his fourth regular-season MVP award, and earned the NBA All-Star Game MVP honors at the 1963 NBA All-Star Game following his 19-point, 24-rebound performance for the Eastern Conference's All-Star team. [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. In the wake of her passing he committed himself to his studies. [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". We won the National Championship. Russell's father was once refused service at a gas station until the staff had taken care of all the white customers first. "[5] After the Division Finals, the Celtics had an easier time in the NBA Finals,[96] winning 41 against the Los Angeles Lakers. [51], Before his NBA rookie year, Russell was the captain of the 1956 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics, which was held in November and December in Melbourne, Australia, in the Southern Hemisphere. To coach the Celtics, he had initially wanted his old player Frank Ramsey, who was too occupied running his three lucrative nursing homes. Bill Russell, a towering figure in the NBA and in American sports history, died at 88 on Sunday, his family announced. [163] In 2022, he was ranked No. The Celtics were already a high-scoring team but the addition of Russell added to their strengths. 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. 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. 1 choice has to be Bill Russell. You are less. [195][196] For his promotion to coach, the Celtics paid Russell an annual salary of $25,000 which was in addition to his salary as a player. Russell was married three times. [59], At that time, Russell received much negative publicity as a player. [66] The teams split the first two games, but Russell went down with a foot injury in Game 3 and only returned for Game 6. [19] While there, they fell into poverty and Russell spent his childhood living in a series of public housing projects. "[50], The Celtics swept the Nationals in three games to earn the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance in the 1957 NBA Finals,[63] where they met the St. Louis Hawks, led by Pettit and former Celtic Ed Macauley.