Five times he was named the NBAs Most Valuable Player, and his 21,620 rebounds are second only to Chamberlains career mark. Heinsohn felt that Russell resented him because the former was named the 1957 NBA Rookie of the Year. "[36], Racism shaped his lifelong paradigm as a team player, about which Russell said: "At that time it was never acceptable that a black player was the best. Bill Russell Height, Weight, Family, Facts, Education, Biography His early childhood was shaped by poor health, as the sickly Russell battled several different illnesses. He was born to Charles and Katie Russell. [144] By winning the 1956 NCAA championship with USF and the 1957 NBA title with the Celtics,[145] 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. He was the son of Katie and Charles Russell. His third marriage was to Marilyn Nault which lasted till her death in 2009. It covered every area. His father gave up his trucking job and became a steelworker in order to be closer to his children. [58] Gottlieb protested the next day, saying that Russell played a one-man zone and goaltended numerous times, to only be called once. [14][192] The news was announced in a Twitter post by his family. [169] In October 2021, Russell was honored as one of theleague's 75 greatest players of all-time. Russell was born on February 12, 1934, to Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. He was convinced that the U.S. was a corrupt nation and that he was wasting his time playing something as superficial as basketball. BILL Russell's wife has shared a sweet picture of the couple after his passing this weekend aged 88. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [3] Russell is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In a game called as "unreal" and "devoid of emotion", the Sixers lost 127118 on April 5. During Russell's college career, the conference was known as the California Basketball Association. [60], At the start of the 195758 NBA season, the Celtics won fourteen straight games and continued to succeed. Suddenly, his grandfather broke down crying. [152] He played in eleven deciding games (ten times in Game 7s, once in a Game 5) and ended with a 110 record. [81][82] Russell finished with a clutch performance, scoring 30 points, along with 4 assists,[83] and tying his own NBA Finals record with 40 rebounds in a 110107 overtime win. Russell was grief-stricken by the death of his mother, whod been his biggest advocate and pushed him to work hard in school. As a freshman at McClymonds High School in Oakland,[23][24] Russell was almost cut again;[25] as he saw Russell's raw athletic potential, coach George Powles encouraged him to work on his fundamentals. [154] He could score with putbacks and made mid-air outlet passes to point guard Bob Cousy for easy fast-break points. [223] When Russell originally retired, he demanded that his jersey be retired in an empty Boston Garden. [99] His second choice was Cousy, who declined the invitation, stating that he did not want to coach his former teammates. [130] Russell also received honorary degrees from Harvard University on June 7, 2007,[131] and from Dartmouth College on June 14, 2009. [5][41] His stint as coach of the Celtics was also of historical significance,[147][148] as he became the first black head coach in the NBA,[14] when he succeeded Red Auerbach. One of the most important moments of his life was when he met with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta and took part in the pivotal March on Washington in 1963. [57] This skill allowed the other Celtics to play their men aggressively; if they were beaten, they knew that Russell was guarding the basket. Bill Russell's selection to the Basketball Hall of Fame for his coaching career was announced on May 16, 2021. Russell articulated these views with a measure of self-criticism, saying: "I consider this a deficiency in myselfmaybe. [34] In one incident, hotels in Oklahoma City refused to admit Russell and his black teammates while they were in town for the 1954 All-College Tournament. When he attempted to leave and find a different station, the attendant stuck a shotgun in his face and threatened to kill him if he did not stay and wait his turn. American basketball player and coach (19342022), 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. Hall of Fame basketball center Bill Russell led the University of San Francisco to consecutive NCAA titles before starting his pro career with the Boston Celtics in 1956. [171], In 2013, Boston honored Russell by erecting a statue of him on City Hall Plaza. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! The already hostile atmosphere between Russell and Boston hit its apex when vandals broke into his house in Reading, Massachusetts, covered the walls with racist graffiti, damaged his trophies, and defecated in the beds. In addition, Auerbach had already used his NBA territorial pick to acquire talented forward Tom Heinsohn. A the time of his death, he was Russell used a copy as extra motivation and told his team to play a running game because in that case it was not the better but the more determined team that was going to win. This attitude contributed to his bad rapport with fans and journalists. He ended his playing career at the age of 35. [149][150], In his first NBA full season (195758), Russell became the first player in NBA history to average more than 20 rebounds per game for an entire season, a feat he accomplished ten times in his thirteen seasons. [153] In 2009, Russell's erstwhile Knicks opponent Bill Bradley wrote in The New York Times Book Review that Russell "was the smartest player ever to play the game [of basketball]". He was 88 years old. [224] He thanked Chamberlain for taking him to the limit and "making [him] a better player", and the crowd for "allowing [him] to be a part of their lives. Bill Russell Schayes, who had become the 76ers coach, said: "The Celtics can thank the Good Lord for Bill Russell. [Auerbach would] get the information from us and then make a decision based on that information and his thoughts. The crowd gave Russell a prolonged standing ovation, which brought tears to his eyes. Bill Russell - Wikipedia Cooper, the Boston Celtics will never embarrass you.' He replied: "Yes." [6][7][8][9] Standing at 6ft 10in (2.08m) tall, with a 7ft 4in (2.24m) arm span,[10][11] his shot-blocking and man-to-man defense were major reasons for the Celtics' dominance during his career. [50] Despite this, the Celtics were leading only 9795 with 34 seconds left when Russell closed out the game with several consecutive clutch plays. While in Oakland he was very poor but became a Russell. It was the start of an unprecedented championship run for Russell and the Celtics. In the wake of her passing he committed himself to his studies. In 1954, he became the first coach of a major college basketball squad to start three African-American players: K. C. Jones, Hal Perry, and Russell. After the next provocation, Russell pounded Felix to the point of unconsciousness, paid a modest $25 fine, and rarely was the target of cheap fouls thereafter. [72][73] In the 1960 NBA Finals, the Celtics outlasted the Hawks 43 in the series and won their third championship in four years. [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. Inside Bill Russells family life as NBA legend passes at Bill Russell died at his home in Mercer Island, Washington, on July 31, 2022. Prior to Game 5, no NBA team had ever come back from a 31 deficit. "[110] This supported the opinion of many white fans that Russell, who was by then the highest-paid Celtic, was egotistical, paranoid, and hypocritical. On the road it was not uncommon for him to have to sleep in a different hotel from the one the rest of the club used. In the fall of 1952, he tried out as a walk-on at the University of San Francisco and earned a scholarship. In Game 4, the Celtics were trailing by one point with seven seconds left and the Lakers had the ball until Baylor stepped out of bounds. 6 for most regular season MVPNBA Finals MVP awards, despite the latter being assigned only since 1969. [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. How many kids did Bill Russell have? Exploring the lives [103] In the Eastern Division Finals of the 1968 NBA playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers had the better record than Boston and were the favorites. Their 4834 record was the team's worst since the 195556 NBA season and they entered the 1969 NBA playoffs as the fourth-seeded team in the East. [108] The teams split the next two games and it all came down to Game 7 in Los Angeles, where Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke angered and motivated the Celtics by putting "proceedings of Lakers victory ceremony" on the game leaflets. He had a career of firsts & led the way for many. NBA legend Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and the first Black head coach in the league, passed away Sunday, July 31, according to Bill Russell [4][8] While at USF, he and Jones helped pioneer a play that later became known as the alley-oop. WebDON'T FORGET TO; SUBSCRIBE+LIKE+COMMENTBill Russell is an American retired professional basketball player, author, NBA legend, and a philanthropist. NBA legend and Hall of Famer Bill Russell died Sunday at the age of 88. [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. [1] The NBA reasoned that other centers were better all-round players than Russell but no player was more valuable to his team. Bill Russell, an NBA Hall of Famer, was being treated for what appear to be cardiac problems in a hospital in Washington state with him passing away due to the illness and age related ailments. When Russell was eight years old, his family moved to Oakland, California. Bill Russell was born on 12 February 1934. Bill Russell Family He worked hard and used the benefits of a growth spurt to become a decent basketball player. 6 in ESPN's NBA 75th Anniversary Team list,[164] and No. They were together from 1956 to 1973. Russel died on July 31, 2022. [110] Journalists were often treated to the "Russell Glower", described as an "icily contemptuous stare accompanied by a long silence". DeJulio was unimpressed by Russell's meager scoring and "atrocious fundamentals",[29] but he sensed that the young Russell had an extraordinary instinct for the game, especially in the clutch. [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. The block preserved Boston's slim 103102 lead with 40-odd seconds left to play in regulation, saving the game for the Celtics. He made a free throw, blocked a shot by Sixers player Chet Walker, grabbed a rebound off a miss by Greer, and passed the ball to teammate Sam Jones, who scored to clinch the win. The Celtic coach Red Auerbach retired before the 1966-67 season. The Celtics won the match 115-106. [57], Russell was an elite help defender who allowed the Celtics to play the "Hey, Bill" defense: whenever a Celtic requested additional defensive help, he would shout "Hey, Bill!" (2004). [29] When DeJulio offered Russell a scholarship, he eagerly accepted. [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. [108], The Celtics were ahead by nine points with five minutes remaining; in addition, West was limping after a Game 5 thigh injury and Chamberlain had left the game with an injured leg. [56] Russell's first Celtics game came on December 22, 1956, against the St. Louis Hawks, led by star forward Bob Pettit, who would go on to hold several all-time scoring records. Bill Russell started playing for the Celtics in the 1956-57 season in December. The couple actually tied the knot on December 9, 1956, with Bill soon making it clear he owed a vast majority of his ambition, compassion, drive, and success to his [5], For his achievements, Russell was named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated in 1968. 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. Auerbach knew that the Rochester Royals, who owned the first draft pick, already had a strong rebounder in Maurice Stokes, were looking for an outside shooting guard, and were unwilling to pay Russell the $25,000 signing bonus he requested. [141] Russell and Bryant were spectators to a basketball game for Obama's 50th birthday at the White House tennis court.