Russell was offered the role of player-coach, which he acceptedmaking him the first African-American NBA coach. In addition to Macauley, who was the Celtics' premier player at the time, he wanted Cliff Hagan, who had been serving in the military for three years and had not yet played for the Celtics. It wasnt long before the defensively adept Russell proved to be dominating presence, with a scorers touch and uncanny ability to rebound. [110], For most of his career, Russell and his perennial opponent Wilt Chamberlain were close friends. 1 choice has to be Bill Russell. I was first team All American. Rather than play for somebody else, Russell took over as a player-coach, steering the team to titles in 1968 and 1969. "[180], Russell was married to his college sweetheart Rose Swisher from 1956 to 1973. [220] The FBI maintained a file on Russell and described him in their file as "an arrogant Negro who won't sign autographs for white children". "[208] Years after Taylor's book, Russell published the autobiographical account Red and Me, which chronicled his lifelong friendship with Auerbach. [86] On February 10, 1963, Russell recorded his first regular season triple-double after putting up 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 129123 win over the New York Knicks. 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. Bill Russell, one of the greatest Boston Celtics and NBA players ever, died, his family said Sunday. To coach the Celtics, he had initially wanted his old player Frank Ramsey, who was too occupied running his three lucrative nursing homes. Bill Russell: Early Life and Education. [30] Woolpert's choice of how to deploy his players was unaffected by their skin color. [110] In response, Russell described Boston as a "flea market of racism". [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. I averaged over 20 points and over 20 rebounds, and I was the only guy in college blocking shots. The block preserved Boston's slim 103102 lead with 40-odd seconds left to play in regulation, saving the game for the Celtics. 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. Russell was born on February 12, 1934, to Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. The game featured Shane Battier, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Maya Moore, Alonzo Mourning, Joakim Noah, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Obama's friends from high school. [41] While blocked shots were not a recorded basketball statistic during Russell's career, he averaged 8.1 blocks in 135 games, as Boston writers often attempted to tally his blocks. In the pivotal Game 7, Russell managed to hold Chamberlain to 22 points, 28 points below his season average, while scoring 19 points. [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. The Bill Russell Legacy Foundation, established by the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, funded the project. 5. K. C. Jones did not play for the Celtics until 1958 because of military service. After he graduated, the NCAA rules committee instituted a second new rule to counter the play of big men like Russell; basket interference was now prohibited. Considered one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. Russell wore his Presidential Medal of Freedom and the image was captioned: "Proud to take a knee, and to stand tall against social injustice." Bill Russell Biography Facts, Childhood, Net Worth, Life [190] On October 16, 2013, Russell was arrested for bringing his registered, loaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun to the SeattleTacoma International Airport. . He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. [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. 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. "[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. 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. And that's the kind of guy [Brown] was. William Felton Russell was born on February 12th in 1934. [137] During halftime of the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Celtics captains Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce presented Russell a surprise birthday cake for his 75th birthday. [91][92] It was their sixth consecutive and seventh title in Russell's eight years with the team, a streak unreached in any U.S. professional sports league. [21], Under head coach Gerald Tucker, Russell helped the U.S. national basketball team win the gold medal in Melbourne, defeating the Soviet Union national basketball team 8955 in the final game with an 80 undefeated run. [116], As a consequence of his endured racist abuse, Russell was extremely sensitive to all racial prejudice. William Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. [198], In 1966, The New York Times wrote that "Russell's main characteristics are pride, intelligence, an active and appreciative sense of humor, a preoccupation with dignity, a capacity for consideration once his friendship or sympathy has been aroused, and an unwillingness to compromise whatever truths he has accepted. 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. Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. His third marriage was to Marilyn Nault which lasted till her death in 2009. Bill Russell was born on 12 February 1934. "[218] Referring to a time when the Celtics did not frequently sell out the Boston Garden, while the generally mediocre and all-white NHL Boston Bruins did, Russell recalled: "We [the Celtics] did a survey about what we could do to improve attendance. The Celtic coach Red Auerbach retired before the 1966-67 season. [193], During his career, Russell was one of the first big earners in NBA basketball. After [113] His No. Russell's Bill Russell was born on 12 February 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana, U.S. "[122] In December 2008, the We Are Boston Leadership Award was presented to Russell. [79] At that time, he became the fourth player in Celtics history to have a triple-double, joining Macauley, Cousy, and K. C. 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][64] In the second overtime, both teams were in serious foul trouble: Heinsohn had fouled out, and the Hawks were so depleted that they had only seven players left. [16] In 2021, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a second time for his coaching career. The Celtics made good use of the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers had exhausted the St. Louis Hawks in a long seven-game Western Conference Finals,[76] and Boston won the 1961 NBA Finals in five games. [54] His former USF and future Celtics teammate K. C. Jones joined him on the Olympic squad and contributed 10.9 points per game,[55] including a RussellJones combined 29 points in the finals. Russell limited Chamberlain to only two shot attempts in the second half. Russell's father was once refused service at a gas station until the staff had taken care of all the white customers first. [126], Russell made few public appearances in the early 1990s, living as a near-recluse on Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle. Bill Russell Net Worth ", "Bill Russell, K.C. 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. After USF kept Holy Cross Crusaders star Tom Heinsohn scoreless in an entire half,[31] Sports Illustrated wrote: "If [Russell] ever learns to hit the basket, they're going to have to rewrite the rules. [110] The same fate awaited his Boston restaurant Slade's, after which he had to default on a $90,000 government loan to purchase the outlet. Bill Russell: Death, Career, Retirement & Controversy - Players Bio He later commented that he would have participated in the high jump if he had been snubbed by the basketball team. Bill Russell Height, Weight, Family, Facts, Education, Biography [51], The St. Louis Hawks, who owned the second pick, drafted Russell but were vying for Celtics center Ed Macauley, a six-time NBA All-Star who had roots in St. Louis. Bill Russell - Wikipedia [21] In delivering a eulogy for Chamberlain, Russell stated that he did not consider them to be rivals, but rather to have a competition, and that the pair would "be friends through eternity". Basketball provided him a means of rising above this negativity and he grew up to prove his mettle. Russell played 48 games, averaging 14.7 points per game and a league-high 19.6 rebounds per game. He was selected by the Boston Celtics during the 1956 NBA Draft because of his defensive toughness and rebounding prowess. [69] The matchup between Russell and Chamberlain became one of basketball's greatest rivalries. [137] He was named as a 2010 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 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. [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). 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. The game was tied with two seconds left when Sam Jones sank a clutch shot that won the Celtics the series. The talented player had grown up in a neighbourhood notorious for its rampant racism. Bill Russells Kids Now: Where Are They Today? Update While Charlie found good work, in 1946 his wife, Katie, became quite sick with the flu and died. 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. While in Oakland he was very poor but became a Bill Russell had three kids, Karen, William Jr., and Jacob. [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]".