[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. [110] Journalists were often treated to the "Russell Glower", described as an "icily contemptuous stare accompanied by a long silence". Bill Russell has been married on 4 different occasions but had never kept a marriage for up to 2 decades, the longest being 17 years (19561973) to a lady called [60], At the start of the 195758 NBA season, the Celtics won fourteen straight games and continued to succeed. BILL Russell's wife has shared a sweet picture of the couple after his passing this weekend aged 88. [116], As a consequence of his endured racist abuse, Russell was extremely sensitive to all racial prejudice. 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. [61] He alienated Celtics fans by saying: "You owe the public the same it owes you, nothing! His father was Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. The Celtics rallied back, winning Game 5 122104 and Game 6 114106, powered by a spirited Havlicek and helped by a terrible Sixers shooting slump. In the first two games, Russell ordered his players not to double-team West, who used the freedom to score 53 and 41 points in the Game 1 and 2 Laker wins. "[166] 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. A morass to fight from. [12] Russell averaged 16.6 points per game and a league-record average of 22.7 rebounds per game. He was notorious for his public surliness and judgmental attitude towards others. [156] In 1970, The Sporting News named Russell the "Athlete of the Decade". [5] Russell's team again beat Chamberlain's Philadelphia 76ers 41 in the Eastern Division Finals, proceeding to win the NBA Finals in a tight showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Russell scoring 25 points and grabbing 32 rebounds, plus giving out an assist,[98] in a 9593 win in Game 7. Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, who won 11 championships in 13 seasons with the team, [110], For most of his career, Russell and his perennial opponent Wilt Chamberlain were close friends. '"[219] In retirement, Russell described the Boston press as corrupt and racist; in response, Boston sports journalist Larry Claflin claimed that Russell himself was the real racist. He Says He Is His Fathers Son. And what we would do is[Auerbach] trusted all his playersso like when he'd make a coaching decision, he could talk: he talked to [Bob] Cousey [who is white], he talked to me [black], he talked to [Bill] Sharman [white], he talked to Sam [Jones] [black]all of us: 'What do you think?' ", "Basketball Players who Caused Rule Changes by Ron Kurtus", "The Bill Russell Story: More Than A Champion", "NCAA Basketball Tourney History: Two by Four", "Stanford Trackmen Finish Fourth in Fresno Relays; Leamon King Equals Century World Record; Landy Runs Mile in 3.59.1; Russell Nears Mark", "Bill Russell's 66-year-old University of San Francisco high jump record may never be broken", "Bill Russell attempting to clear 69 1/4. [144][157] Russell is universally seen as one of the best NBA players ever,[5] and he was declared "Greatest Player in the History of the NBA" by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America in 1980. [162] In 2020, he was ranked No. Career-wise in rebounds, Russell ranks second to Chamberlain in regular season total (21,620) and average per game (22.5), and he led the NBA in average rebounds per game four times. In California, life for the Russell family proved rocky. [110] Russell was also notorious for his refusal to give autographs or acknowledge the Celtics fans, and was called "the most selfish, surly and uncooperative athlete" by one pundit. One of his highest jumps occurred at the WCR, where he achieved a mark of .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}6feet 9+14inches (2.06m);[43] at the meet, Russell tied Charlie Dumas, who would later in the year win gold in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia for the United States and become the first person to high-jump 7 feet (2.13m). In its announcement, the WCC stated: "The 'Russell Rule' requires each member institution to include a member of a traditionally underrepresented community in the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach position in the athletic department. [4][8] While at USF, he and Jones helped pioneer a play that later became known as the alley-oop. While in Oakland he was very poor but became a [18][170] However, the NBA players who currently wore the number 6 jersey are grandfatheredthey may keep the number until they voluntarily change it or retirebut the number will not be issued again to a new player. [19] In another incident, Russell's mother was walking outside in a fancy dress when a white policeman accosted her. He was offered a scholarship from the University of San Francisco (USF). [62] Russell scored 21 points and grabbed an NBA Finals-record 40 rebounds, plus an assist, in a Game 2 loss,[74] and he added 22 points and 35 rebounds, along with 4 assists,[75] in the deciding Game 7, a 122103 victory for Boston. He scored 15.0 ppg and 24.7 rebounds per game during the 1963-64 season. Russell was the first player to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NBA Championship, and a collegiate championship. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Butler, Name: Bill Russell, Birth Year: 1934, Birth date: February 12, 1934, Birth State: Louisiana, Birth City: Monroe, Birth Country: United States. I owe so much to him it's impossible to express. Prior to Game 5, no NBA team had ever come back from a 31 deficit. [102], In the 196768 NBA season, the 34-year-old Russell averaged 12.5 points per game and 18.6 rebounds per game,[1] the latter of which was good enough for the third-highest average in the league. [197] Russell also had a shoe designed by Bristol Manufacturing Corporation in 1966, the Bill Russell Professional Basketball Shoe. This was in contrast to other Celtics who had to work during the offseason to maintain their standard of living; Tom Heinsohn sold insurance, Gene Guarilia was a professional guitar player, Cousy ran a basketball camp, and Red Auerbach invested in plastics and a Chinese restaurant. [69] The matchup between Russell and Chamberlain became one of basketball's greatest rivalries. Russell was equally notable for his rebounding abilities, and he led the NBA in rebounds four times, had a dozen consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds,[12] and remains second all time in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. He is said to have made a conscious decision to put the team first and foremost, and not worry about individual achievements. [20] Russell was closer to his mother Katie than to his father,[20] and he received a major emotional blow when she suddenly died when he was 12 years old. 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 2014, after the unveiling of his statue at City Hall in Boston, Russell spoke a bit about his parents and what his life was like He went to McClymonds High School, where he started playing basketball. The following season the Celtics became the first team to win 60 games in a season and he was again voted as the NBAs Most Valuable Player. Gottlieb stated: "Our Paul Arizin went underneath for a simple backboard lay-up, and as the ball traveled down towards the basket, Russell batted it away. 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. [8][38] His awards and achievements include eleven NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in thirteen seasons,[53] two of which were won as player-coach,[143] and he is credited with having raised defensive play in the NBA to a new level. Bill Russell, one of the most important and accomplished athletes in history, died on Sunday at the age of 88 with his wife Jeannine by his side, his family announced. He worked hard and used the benefits of a growth spurt to become a decent basketball player. William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. Russell made himself eligible for the 1956 NBA draft. He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. He led the San Francisco Dons to two consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956,[4] and he captained the gold-medal winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. [53] The U.S. dominated the tournament, winning by an average of 53.5 points per game. [69] Both men awed onlookers with "nakedly awesome athleticism",[69] and while Chamberlain outscored Russell 30 to 22, the Celtics won 115106, and the match was called a "new beginning of basketball". Boston then beat the Los Angeles Lakers 42 in the 1968 NBA Finals, giving Russell his tenth title in twelve years. Hewas married to Jeannine Russell at the time of his death. I'm certainly going to ask Maurice Podoloff." 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. After The Celtics managed a 108-89 victory and swept the Nationals in three games. When he became player-coach in 1966, Russell bluntly said to his teammates that "he intended to cut all personal ties to other players" and seamlessly made the transition from their peer to their superior. Celtics owner Walter A. [65], The Celtics won 49 games and made the first berth in the 1958 NBA playoffs, where they met in the 1958 NBA Finals with their familiar rivals, the St. Louis Hawks. [30] Woolpert's choice of how to deploy his players was unaffected by their skin color. He was convinced that the U.S. was a corrupt nation and that he was wasting his time playing something as superficial as basketball. Even as he won on the court, Russell, an outspoken backer of the Civil Rights Movement, experienced his struggles off of it. When the NBA All-Stars toured the U.S. in the 1958 offseason, white hotel owners in segregated North Carolina denied rooms to Russell and his black teammates, causing him to later write in his 1966 memoir Go Up for Glory: "It stood out, a wall which understanding cannot penetrate. [152] He played in eleven deciding games (ten times in Game 7s, once in a Game 5) and ended with a 110 record. [19], During World War II, the Second Great Migration began, as large numbers of Black people were moving to the West to look for work there. [133][134] In 2008, Russell received the Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement. The owner of the Hawks called Auerbach later and demanded more in the trade. When Chamberlain died in 1999, Chamberlain's nephew said that Russell was the second person he was told to call. "[30] The NCAA rewrote rules in response to Russell's dominant play; the lane was widened for his junior year. [5] This took place during his last season (1969) and was the first season the NBA All-Defensive Teams were selected. UCLA Bruins coach John Wooden called Russell "the greatest defensive man I've ever seen". I could hear anything, I could see anything, and nothing mattered. [5] He was also known as a fine passer and pick-and-roll setter, featured a decent left-handed hook shot, and finished strong on alley oops. [189] 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. 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 He was the central focus of the Celtics dynasty, who won 11 NBA championships so over course of his 13 1934: Bill Russell is born in Louisiana Charles and Katie Russell welcome William Felton Russell on Feb. 12 in Monroe, a town in north 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. Russell regarded Auerbach as "the greatest of all coaches". He was very happy to receive this scholarship as it provided him an opportunity to escape the life of poverty and racism. He was one of the greatest rebounders in basketball history and had led ", "Glory at the Basket, William Felton Russell", "The Ring Leader: Bill Russell helped the Celtics rule their sport like no team ever has", "Celtics Name Russell Coach, Making Him First Negro to Lead Major Team", "A Farewell Fiercest Rival: Bill Russell Recalls Wilt As His Friend For Eternity", "Bill Russell: Working with Red Auerbach", "More than 40 years later, Celtics great Bill Russell finally accepts his Hall of Fame ring", "Third Annual 'We Are Boston' Event Honors Outstanding Contributions to Boston's Diversity", "Bill Russell: 'Tell those NFL players, I'm with them', UPI College Basketball Player of the Year Award, Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player, 1955 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, 1956 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award, Wayland Baptist Women's Teams (19481982), NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Russell&oldid=1152374708, African-American male track and field athletes, African-American sports executives and administrators, All-American college men's basketball players, American sports executives and administrators, Basketball players at the 1956 Summer Olympics, Basketball players from Oakland, California, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association broadcasters, National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches, National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award winners, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball, San Francisco Dons men's basketball players, San Francisco Dons men's track and field athletes, Track and field athletes from Oakland, California, United States men's national basketball team players, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 21:24. He was growing older and slow and by the 1967-68 season, his figures were slowly declining. Constantly provoked by New York Knicks center Ray Felix during a game, he complained to coach Auerbach, who told him to take matters into his own hands. [50] He ranks No. [77], In the 196162 NBA season, Russell scored a career-high 18.9 points per game, accompanied by 23.6 rebounds per game. I averaged over 20 points and over 20 rebounds, and I was the only guy in college blocking shots. 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. "[5] The Sixers outpaced the Celtics when they shredded the famed Boston defense by scoring 140 points in the clinching Game 5 win. [50] On offense, Russell's output was limited and his NBA career personal averages show him to be an average scorer (15.1 points career average), a poor free-throw shooter (56.1%), and average overall shooter from the field (44%, not exceptional for a center). 6 in ESPN's NBA 75th Anniversary Team list,[164] and No. Bill Russell was born on 12 February 1934. [Auerbach would] get the information from us and then make a decision based on that information and his thoughts. 101", "The NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, ranked: Where 76 basketball legends check in on our list", "NBA 75: Top 75 NBA players of all time, from MJ and LeBron to Lenny Wilkens", "President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients", "Bill Russell to receive NBA's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award", "Bill Russell's No. He is depicted in-game, surrounded by 11 plinths representing the 11 championships he helped the Celtics win. He kept up his excellent performance during the 1964-65 season too when he helped the Celtics win a league-record of 62 games. "[102] The game still ended on a high note for Russell. 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. Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. children: Jacob Russell, Karen Russell, William Russell Jr. Grouping of People: Black Baseball Players, U.S. State: Louisiana, African-American From Louisiana, awards: 1955 - NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player 1955-1956 - 2 NCAA champion 1963 - NBA All-Star Game MVP, 19571959 - 5 NBA rebounding champion 19641965 - 5 NBA rebounding champion 1958 - 5 NBA Most Valuable Player 1965 - 5 NBA Most Valuable Player 19611963 - 5 NBA Most Valuable Player 1957 - 11 NBA champion 19591966 - 11 NBA champion 19681969 - 11 NBA champion. The NBA Finals MVP Award was renamed the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award in his honour in 2009. Bill Russell, one of the greatest basketball players of all time who led the charge on and off the court, has died, his family announced Sunday. To coach the Celtics, he had initially wanted his old player Frank Ramsey, who was too occupied running his three lucrative nursing homes. 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. [4] In his USF years, Russell took advantage of his relative lack of bulk to develop a unique defensive style: instead of purely guarding the opposing center, he used his quickness and speed to play help defense against opposing forwards and aggressively challenge their shots. [116] He attended his 2021 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. "[50] The next day, The Boston Globe read: "Russell's Reflexes Befuddles Visitors. Bill Russell died at his home in Mercer Island, Washington, on July 31, 2022. The basketball star and his fourth wife Jeannine had continued to [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. Auerbach replied that Gottlieb's statements were "absolutely ridiculous" and said any controversy was "a question of sour grapes". You are a Negro. Even against more physically imposing centers, like .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Wilt Chamberlain, Russell was a defensive and rebounding force. It was the start of an unprecedented championship run for Russell and the Celtics. [5] Chamberlain said Russell's timing as a shot-blocker was unparalleled. [80] Game 7 was tied one second before the end of regular time, when Lakers guard Rod Hundley faked a shot and passed out to Frank Selvy, who missed an open eight-foot last-second shot that would have won Los Angeles the title. Best Known For: 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. [104], In Game 7, 15,202 Philadelphia fans witnessed a home-team 10096 defeat, making it the first time in NBA history a team lost a series after leading 31. Following Chamberlain's death in October 1999, Russell returned to prominence at the turn of the millennium. 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. . Bill Russell was born on January 10, 1935, and died at age 61 years old on March 9, 1996. [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. In addition, Auerbach had already used his NBA territorial pick to acquire talented forward Tom Heinsohn. 1 choice has to be Bill Russell. [155] 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). [103] In the Eastern Division Finals of the 1968 NBA playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers had the better record than Boston and were the favorites. Russell. [85] President John F. Kennedy posed for a picture with Auerbach and the nine Celtics but not Russell, who overslept because he thought it was just a tour of the White House and did not know President Kennedy would be meeting them. Brown contacted Rochester owner Les Harrison and received an assurance that the Royals could not afford Russell, and they would draft Sihugo Green. He later commented that he would have participated in the high jump if he had been snubbed by the basketball team. Heinsohn felt that Russell resented him because the former was named the 1957 NBA Rookie of the Year. [67] Lakers head coach John Kundla praised Russell, stating: "We don't fear the Celtics without Bill Russell. Chamberlain often invited Russell over for Thanksgiving dinner; at Russell's place, conversation mostly concerned Russell's electric trains. [210], Chamberlain's knee was injured so badly that he could not play the entire offseason and he ruptured it the next season. [203] Later in Russell's career, John Havlicek said of his teammate and coach that he threw up less often than early in his career, only doing so "when it's an important game or an important challenge for himsomeone like Chamberlain, or someone coming up that everyone's touting. As Chamberlain was often defended by Celtics backup center Wayne Embry, the press speculated that Russell was worn down. I refuse to smile and be nice to the kiddies. He was one of the most successful players ever to have graced American basketball. August 1, 2022 NBA reacts to death of iconic Bill Russell He grew up in a racially segregated neighbourhood where his family was often subjected to rampant acts of racism. So we never, or at least I never, ever considered him as having ulterior motives for whatever he did. [49], In the draft, Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach set his sights on Russell, thinking his defensive toughness and rebounding prowess were the missing pieces the Celtics needed. 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. "[50], Duiring the 196869 NBA season, Russell was shocked by the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, disillusioned by the Vietnam War, and weary from his increasingly stale marriage to his wife Rose; the couple later divorced. In the last play, Sam Jones used a triple screen by Bailey Howell, Larry Siegfried, and Havlicek to hit a buzzer beater that equalized the series. When the reporter asked how, Russell responded: "Because the most important factor is respect. He was famous for his shot-blocking and man-to-man defense which led his team to many victories in major tournaments. A the time of his death, he was All Rights Reserved. He was married four times and had three children. Lakers coach Bill van Breda Kolff kept him on the bench until the end of the game, saying later that he wanted to stay with the lineup responsible for the comeback. ", "Bill Russell, K.C. 6 was retired in 1972; he also refused to attend his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1975. [50] Boston's chances of getting Russell seemed slim because they had finished second in the previous season and the worst teams had the highest draft picks, and the Celtics had slipped too low in the draft order to pick Russell. Basketball provided him a means of rising above this negativity and he grew up to prove his mettle. Born on 12 February 1934, Bill Russells age was 88 Years Old when he passed away on 31 July 2022. Russell was so quick that he could run over for a quick double team and make it back in time if the opponents tried to find the open man. [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. He was born and brought up in a super-rich-class Catholic [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. [38] He became known for his strong defense and shot-blocking skills, once denying 13 shots in a game. 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. Russell scored 15.0 points per game and grabbed a career-high 24.7 rebounds per game, leading the NBA in rebounds for the first time since Chamberlain entered the league. He still holds the NBA record for rebounds in one half with 32 (vs. Philadelphia, November 16, 1957). And so the guy that owned the Celtics [Walter Brown] was [in addition to Auerbach for whom Russell expressed 'respect' and 'actual love'] another one of the fine, good, and decent human beings that I've ever encountered. He was selected into the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996,[5] one of only four players to receive all three honors, and selected into the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. "[208] To teammates and friends, Russell was open and amicable; he was extremely distrusting and cold towards anyone else. [20] Russell stated that his father became his childhood hero, later followed up by Minneapolis Lakers superstar George Mikan, whom he met when he was in high school. 6 for most regular season MVPNBA Finals MVP awards, despite the latter being assigned only since 1969. [66] Many observers thought that Boston could have won had Russell not been injured, but Auerbach commented: "You can always look for excuses We just got beat. Bill Russell had three kids, Karen, William Jr., and Jacob.
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