On Sunday July 31st, the sports world loss a legend. NBA legend Bill Russell passed away over the weekend.
According to the NBA,
Bill Russell, stalwart of the Boston Celtics’ dynasty of the 1950s and 60s, the only NBA player to win 11 championships and the league’s first Black head coach, died on Sunday. He was 88.
His family posted the news on social media, saying Russell died with his wife, Jeannine, by his side.
“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 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.”
At 6-foot-10, Russell headlined an era of dominant centers in the NBA that included fellow Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, his rival in eight playoff and championship battles.
A dominant shot blocker, Russell was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player five times, in addition to earning All-Star recognition on 12 occasions in his 13-year career. Russell racked up 21,620 career rebounds (22.5 per game), which ranks second only to Chamberlain’s career mark, and was a four-time season rebounding leader. He pulled down 51 rebounds in one game and 49 in two other outings, in addition to amassing 12 straight seasons with at least 1,000 boards.
The NBA did not track blocked shots until the 1973-74 season, well after Russell’s retirement in 1969. But he is widely regarded as one of the greatest rim protectors in league history, an agile and instinctive defender who brought a new level of athleticism to the NBA with his arrival in 1956.
Off the court, Russell was an outspoken advocate of the civil rights movement, and in 2011 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
In his first season with that mantle, Russell was tasked with stopping Chamberlain, who led the 76ers to 68 victories while wresting away Boston’s dominance in the Eastern Division. Philadelphia bested the Celtics 4-1 in the Eastern Division finals, marking the first time in 10 years Boston didn’t advance to the Finals.
The Celtics exacted revenge on the 76ers the following season, winning the division finals 4-3 before defeating the Lakers 4-2 for Russell’s first championship as a player-coach. Russell and the Celtics captured title No. 11 in his final season with another triumph over Jerry West, the recently-acquired Chamberlain and the Lakers. Russell averaged 19.3 rebounds in his final season.
The Celtics would retire his No. 6 jersey in 1972. Russell was inducted three years later into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Russell remained close to the game after his retirement, serving in various capacities in the NBA, last working with the Sacramento Kings as coach in 1987-88.
The 11-time champion’s legacy was further cemented when former commissioner David Stern re-named the NBA Finals MVP award in Russell’s honor in 2009.
“Who better to name this prestigious award for than one of the greatest players of all time and the ultimate champion,” Stern said at the time.
Russell recalled the honor as “one of my proudest moments in basketball, because I determined early in my career, the only important statistic in basketball is the final score.”
In 2013, the city of Boston further honored Russell by erecting a statue of him on City Hall Plaza.
Russell became more visible in recent years. The day before Staples Center was set to host a memorial service for Kobe and Gianna Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in early 2020, Russell showed up to the arena for a game between Boston and Los Angeles wearing the Laker star’s jersey despite years of intense rivalry between the franchises.
Russell is survived by his wife, Jeannine Russell, as well three children from a previous marriage: daughter Karen Russell and sons William Jr. and Jacob.
Rest in Peace Bill Russell.
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