He is said to have made a conscious decision to put the team first and foremost, and not worry about individual achievements. Bill Cosby's daughter Ensa was buried at the comedian's family compound outside Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts on Wednesday. One of the greatest players in NBA history, Bill Russell, is currently in his 4th marriage. The NBA family just learned this afternoon that Bill Russell, the 11-time champion and Hall of Fame icon of the Boston Celtics, who used that fame to further the civil rights cause in the. Together, the longtime couple are also grandparents to seven children, including Kate's kids, Ryder Robinson, Bingham Hawn Bellamy, and Rani Rose Hudson Fujikawa; Oliver's kids, Bodhi Hawn Hudson,. If you were too sheltered, Im afraid youd be too naive. 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. [50] Auerbach later said that Brown offered Harrison guaranteed performances of the Ice Capades if they did not draft Russell; it is difficult to verify or disprove this, but it is clear that the Royals underrated Russell. 6 jersey", "Bill Russell statue to be unveiled Nov. 1", "City Hall Plaza statue honors Celtics' Bill Russell", "Basketball's Bill Russell joins the Bronze Age", "Russell Rule Diversity Hiring Commitment", "The University of San Francisco Honors the Memory of Marilyn Nault Russell", "Bill Russell: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", "Bill Russell, legendary Celtics center and NBA coach, dead at 88", "Indomitable Russell Values One Accolade Above the Rest", "Police: NBA legend Bill Russell arrested with gun at airport", "Bill Russell, Basketball Great With Record 11 NBA Titles, Dies At 88", "Celtics legend, 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell dies at 88", "What NBA salaries would these superstar players make today? Russell played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. BOSTON - Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell died Sunday at the age of 88, his family announced. Jones treated like 'Rock' stars at Alcatraz", "Bill Russell, Who Transformed Pro Basketball, Dies at 88", "Bill Russell Receives Arthur Ashe Courage Award At ESPYS", "Watch Bill Russell be inducted into Hall of Fame as a coach", "Bill Russell's No. [135] He was named as a 2010 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He reasoned that if Saperstein was too smart to speak with him, then he was too smart to play for Saperstein. BOSTON (AP) Bill Russell never had to find his voice as an activist. The children and grandchildren of the Boston Celtics legend were able to say their goodbyes on Saturday, a source told Andscape. "[49] The next day, The Boston Globe read: "Russell's Reflexes Befuddles Visitors. [101] Russell acknowledged the first real loss of his career, as he had been injured when the Celtics lost the 1958 NBA Finals, by visiting Chamberlain in the locker room, shaking his hand, and saying: "Great. People broke into his house and destroyed his trophies, among many other outrageous deeds. [71][72] In the 1960 NBA Finals, the Celtics outlasted the Hawks 43 in the series and won their third championship in four years. He lost his mother when he was just 12 years old. Well, that let me know that if I were to accept these as the final judges of my career I would die a bitter old man." Avery Brundage, head of the International Olympic Committee, argued that Russell had already signed a professional sport contract and was no longer an amateur sportsman, but Russell prevailed. [140], Russell is one of the most successful and decorated athletes in North American sports history. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. [76], In the 196162 NBA season, Russell scored a career-high 18.9 points per game, accompanied by 23.6 rebounds per game. [222] 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. Russell also ignored Heinsohn's request for an autograph on behalf of his cousin and openly said to Heinsohn that he deserved half of his $300 Rookie of the Year check. Bill Russell's daughter, Karen, was born in 1962. [5] The Russell draft-day trade was later called one of the most important trades in the history of North American sports. By Amanda Kaufman Globe Staff, Updated August 1, 2022, 3:42 p.m. Boston Celtics player-coach Bill Russell. [1] Boston defeated the Cincinnati Royals 41 to earn another NBA Finals appearance and then won against Chamberlain's newly relocated San Francisco Warriors 41. [60], The Celtics finished the 195657 regular season with a 4428 record, the team's second-best record since beginning play in the 194647 BAA season, which guaranteed Russell his first NBA playoffs appearance,[61] where the Celtics met with the Syracuse Nationals, a team led by Dolph Schayes, through the Eastern Division Finals. "[5] After the Division Finals, the Celtics had an easier time in the NBA Finals,[95] winning 41 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Bill Russell had three kids, Karen, William Jr., and Jacob. ", "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', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Russell&oldid=1134316357, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 18 January 2023, at 02:15. [116], After retiring as a player, Russell had stints as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (19731977) and Sacramento Kings (19871988). [114] He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. During a press conference, Russell was asked: "As the first Negro head coach in a major league sport, can you do the job impartially without any racial prejudice in reverse?" [49], 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. [151] 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]". The 11-time NBA champion had been dealing with health issues in recent years, sources said. In these eleven games, Russell averaged 18.3 points and 29.4 rebounds. 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. You are less. 2. [115] He attended his 2021 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. He is depicted in-game, surrounded by 11 plinths representing the 11 championships he helped the Celtics win. The most prolific winner in NBA history, Russell was the centerpiece of. The NBA legend was a victim of racism, and not even his basketball fame helped him. It would be to our advantage if we paid him off for five years to get away from us in the rest of this series. Beloved NBA legend Bill Russell has died at the age of 88, his family announced in a statement Sunday. [60] He alienated Celtics fans by saying: "You owe the public the same it owes you, nothing! They were happily wed until 1973. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. [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. In 1975, he was inducted into the basketball hall of fame. [48], 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. [136] Russell attended Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals to present Bryant the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. Tune in July 10, this is a special honor! Russell, who had a difficult relationship with the media, did not attend either ceremony. Bill Russell. [19] In another incident, Russell's mother was walking outside in a fancy dress when a white policeman accosted her. Of the book, Bill Bradley wrote for The New York Times Book Review that "Bill Russell is a private, complex man, but on the subject of his love of Red Auerbach and his Celtic teammates, he's loud and clear. [65] The teams split the first two games, but Russell went down with a foot injury in Game 3 and only returned for Game 6. While Saperstein spoke to Woolpert in a meeting, Globetrotters assistant coach Harry Hanna tried to entertain Russell with jokes, but he was livid after this snub and declined the offer. [98] On April 16, 1966, Russell agreed to become head coach of the Celtics, and a public announcement was made two days later. Bill answered, I played for the Celtics, period I did not play for Boston. Early years Family. Russell's 51 rebounds in a single game is the second-highest performance ever, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain's all-time record of 55. [32] Russell became one of several big men who have brought about NCAA rule changes. Russell's family announced the legendary NBA center died at 88. So we never, or at least I never, ever considered him as having ulterior motives for whatever he did. In his thirteen years, he averaged a relatively low 13.4 field goals attempted (normally, top scorers average 20 and more),[1] illustrating that he was never the focal point of the Celtics offense, who instead focused on his elite defense. He revealed that his mother died when he was 12. Russell won 11 NBA championships, five league MVPs and also became the first Black head coach. [19] While there, they fell into poverty and Russell spent his childhood living in a series of public housing projects. Arthur was a man of great courage. [67][108] The Celtics held on for a 108106 victory and Russell claimed his eleventh championship in thirteen years. [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. [147][148], 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. 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 growing up. He passed away peacefully with . [20], At USF, Russell became the new starting center for coach Phil Woolpert of the San Francisco Dons. 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. 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