NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell has died at the age of 88, his family announced on Sunday.
“Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife Jeannine by his side, ” they wrote in a post on the legend’s Twitter account. “Arrangements for his memorial service will be announced soon.”
An announcement… pic.twitter.com/KMJ7pG4R5Z
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) July 31, 2022
Russell played center professionally from 1956 to 1969, and led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA Championships — more than any other player in the history of the league.
He won 5 Most Valuable Player awards, and helped propel the NBA into the national spotlight with his star power and winning acumen.
The league, in 2009, renamed the trophy for the NBA Finals MVP after the 6’10” legend.
Outside of the NBA, Russell led the United States National Team to win the gold-medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in college, propelled the University of San Francisco dons to consecutive NCAA championships.
His physical stature made him one of the most dominating defensive players in basketball history, and remains second on the NBA’s all-time list of total rebounds.
The Celtics legend joined the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 for his on-the-court success, and last year was inducted into the Hall for his work as a coach (the 5th person to do so as both a player and coach).
When he became a player-coach for 3 years between 1966 and 1969, Russell was the first Black man to coach a team in American professional sports.
For more coverage of Bill Russell and the NBA, head to amNY.com.
Off the court, Russell became a champion of the Civil Rights movement, which was raging at the time of his playing career.
In 1963, Russell joined the March on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and was an outspoken defender of social justice causes — including his defense of Muhammad Ali when the boxer refused to join the military because of his religious beliefs.
In 2011, then-President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian honor in the United States), and cited his work on-and-off the court.
“Bill Russell is a man who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men. He marched with King. He stood by Ali,” Obama said. “When a restaurant refused to serve the Black Celtics, he refused to play in the scheduled game.”
“I hope that one day, in the streets of Boston, children will look up to a statue built not-only to Bill Russel the player, but also Bill Russell the man.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, in a statement after his death, said that Russell’s commitment to the “values of equality, respect and inclusion” helped instill those ideals into the “DNA of our league.”
“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.
“I often called him basketball’s Babe Ruth for how he transcended time,” Silver continued. “Bill was the ultimate winner and consummate teammate, and his influence on the NBA will be felt forever.”
