[18], Russell was born on February 12, 1934, to Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. Bill Russell, who earned 11 NBA championship rings during his career, died on Sunday with his wife Jeannine by his side . In the interim, Russell won an Olympic gold medal in 1956. [50] 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. A living, smarting, hurting, smelling, greasy substance which covered you. The bill has specific provisions for protecting children and Molly's father, Ian, called for it to be introduced "urgently" after the hearing. [65] 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. Dorothy, who went by Didi, hailed from Kirkland, Washington, and went on to compete at the Miss Universe Pageant in July in Miami Beach of that same year. [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 preceded in . Dorothy Anstett Born: Kirkland, Washington, United States Date of birth: 1947-06-28 Spouse: Bill Russell https://t.co/T9E7sVcZUO pic.twitter.com/se6ka2URg3. The champion marched with Martin Luther King for civil rights. [5], For his achievements, Russell was named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated in 1968. [201] 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. [1] The Celtics won the 1966 NBA Finals and their eighth consecutive title. [The sound of Russell throwing up] is a welcome sound, too, because it means he's keyed up for the game, and around the locker room we grin and say, 'Man, we're going to be all right tonight. [32] Russell became one of several big men who have brought about NCAA rule changes. [50], 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. [169], In 2013, Boston honored Russell by erecting a statue of him on City Hall Plaza. [1] The 195657 Boston Celtics season saw the debut of a starting lineup made up of five future Hall-of-Famers: center Russell, forwards Heinsohn and Frank Ramsey, and guards Bill Sharman and Bob Cousy. He won more championships than any other NBA player and made the Boston Celtics one of the most successful franchises in the league's history. He didn't. [115] He attended his 2021 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. [28], Russell was ignored by college recruiters and received not one offer until recruiter Hal DeJulio from the University of San Francisco (USF) watched him play in a high school game. [59] With the Celtics leading 125123 with one second left, the Hawks had the ball at their own baseline. [109] 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. When Russell was eight years old, his father moved the family out of Louisiana and settled in Oakland, California. No cause of death was immediately available; Russell, who had been living in the Seattle area, was not well enough to present the NBA Finals MVP trophy in June due to a long illness. He was born on November 2, 1957 and worked for Cox Trucking for several years. He later recalled: "To play good defense it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. I owe so much to him it's impossible to express. His daughter is Karen Russell, who is a television pundit and lawyer, and his sons are William Jr. and Jacob. [110] Russell notified Auerbach that he was resigning to join a career in television and movies "in order to find new sources of income for the future". American baseball player and coach. [5], In the 196465 NBA season, the Celtics won a league-record 62 games and Russell averaged 14.1 points and 24.1 rebounds per game, winning his second consecutive rebounding title and his fifth MVP award. 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. Bill Russell with his coach, Red Auerbach, in December 1964 after scoring his 10,000th career point in a game in Boston Garden. Bill Cosby's daughter Ensa was buried at the comedian's family compound outside Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts on Wednesday. Beloved NBA legend Bill Russell has died at the age of 88, his family announced in a statement Sunday. [94] In Game 5, Russell contributed with 12 points, 28 rebounds, and 7 assists, plus 10 blocks and 6 steals; blocks and steals became officially recorded statistics in the 197374 NBA season. According to Taylor, he often perceived insults even if others did not. "[109] This supported the opinion of many white fans that Russell, who was by then the highest-paid Celtic, was egotistical, paranoid, and hypocritical. His father gave up his trucking job and became a steelworker in order to be closer to his children. Bill Russell- a pioneer of NBA, legendary player, Hall of Famer, activist, and Boston Celtics icon who had bagged five MVPs awards and 11 Championships in his career, died on July 31, 2022, due to natural reasons at his home at the age of 88. 6 jersey would be retired throughout the National Basketball Association, the first time a jersey had been retired league-wide in NBA history, and joining Jackie Robinson and Wayne Gretzky in the honor among the four major American sports leagues. She's also provided commentary on the high-profile cases of NBA players like Kobe Bryant and Jayson Williams. The couple grew emotionally distant and divorced. He was one of five, along with James Naismith, Oscar Robertson, Dean Smith, and John Wooden, selected to represent the inaugural class. [38] Russell led the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game for the competition. 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,[75] and Boston won the 1961 NBA Finals in five games. [135] 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. "[99][214] As a result of repeated racial bigotry, Russell refused to respond to fan acclaim or friendship from his neighbors, thinking it was insincere and hypocritical. [20] When World War II broke out, the elder Russell became a truck driver. This attitude contributed to his bad rapport with fans and journalists. Tune in July 10, this is a special honor! 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. [133][134], On February 14, 2009, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award would be renamed the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his honor as an 11-time NBA champion. [57] Gottlieb protested the next day, saying that Russell played a one-man zone and goaltended numerous times, to only be called once. As Russell takes to the stage to accept the award, some fans may grow curious about his family and children. [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. [4][8] While at USF, he and Jones helped pioneer a play that later became known as the alley-oop. Following his passing on Sunday at 88, tributes poured in fast and furious . [1] The NBA reasoned that other centers were better all-round players than Russell but no player was more valuable to his team. Your login session has expired. [8][38] His awards and achievements include eleven NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in thirteen seasons,[52] two of which were won as player-coach,[141] and he is credited with having raised defensive play in the NBA to a new level. During a conversation with students, a reporterunknown to Russellheard Russell describe Chamberlain as a malingerer and accused him of "copping out" of the game when it seemed that the Lakers would lose. "[216] 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. 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. NBA legend Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and the first Black head coach in the league, passed away "peacefully" Sunday, according to a family statement from. "[49] The next day, The Boston Globe read: "Russell's Reflexes Befuddles Visitors. In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that Russell was "the greatest champion in all of team sports". 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. He has three children named Jacob Russell, William Russell Jr., and Karen Russell. In the piece, she explains how she experienced such privilege in her life at times, but how she was also met with periods of intense racism and sexism. There are no Insights into his past relationship. He Had Three Children with His First Wife Together, Russell and Swisher had three children: daughter Karen, and sons William Jr. and. [49] Despite this, the Celtics were leading only 9795 with 34 seconds left when Russell closed out the game with several consecutive clutch plays. His family said on social media that Russell died on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Born on November 2, 1957, in Melrose, Massachusetts, William Felton Russell Jr. worked for Cox Trucking for several years. Prior to Game 5, no NBA team had ever come back from a 31 deficit. In 1956, Russell married his college sweetheart, Rose Swisher. The 11-time NBA champion had been dealing with health issues in recent years, sources said. Auerbach, Red and John Feinstein. 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. Bill Russell got married to his girlfriend, Rose Swisher in the year 1956. Later, hoping to better the family's . Russell played 48 games, averaging 14.7 points per game and a league-high 19.6 rebounds per game. If I looked at it objectively, detached myself, it would be a deficiency. [189], Russell died at his Mercer Island, Washington, home on July 31, 2022, at the age of 88. Just found out I will be receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. [109] He was so tense before every game that he regularly vomited in the locker room; early in his career, it happened so frequently that his fellow Celtics were more worried when it did not happen than when it did. BOSTON (AP) Bill Russell, the NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years the last two as the first Black head coach in any major U.S. sport and marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., died Sunday. When the Sixers' Hall-of-Fame guard Hal Greer inbounded, Havlicek stole the ball, causing Celtics commentator Johnny Most to scream: "Havlicek stole the ball! Woolpert emphasized defense and deliberate half-court play, which favored Russell's exceptional defensive skills. He revealed that his mother died when he was 12. [125] 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. Advertisement. [135] He was named as a 2010 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. NBA legend Bill Russell passed away at the age of 88. Bill Russell American baseball player and coach. He is depicted in-game, surrounded by 11 plinths representing the 11 championships he helped the Celtics win. [34] Even after he became a star with the Celtics, Russell was the victim of racial abuse. "[206] Years after Taylor's book, Russell published the autobiographical account Red and Me, which chronicled his lifelong friendship with Auerbach. [51] During that same draft, Boston also drafted guard K. C. Jones, Russell's former USF teammate, and managed to draft three future Basketball Hall of Famers: Russell, Jones, and Heinsohn. [156], On August 11, 2022, it was announced that Russell's No. [33], The games were often difficult for the USF squad, as Russell and his black teammates became targets of racist jeers, particularly on the road. [85] 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. [5][41], Besides basketball, Russell represented USF in track and field events. After the loss, he led his grandfather through the Celtics locker rooms and the two saw the white Celtic Havlicek taking a shower next to his black teammate Sam Jones and discussing the game. [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. [64], 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. A 1987 essay by Bill Russell's daughter detailed racism the family faced in Mass. In a game called as "unreal" and "devoid of emotion", the Sixers lost 127118 on April 5. [120], Russell became a vegetarian, took up golf, and worked as a color commentator for CBS and TBS throughout the 1970s into the mid-1980s, but he was uncomfortable as a broadcaster. If you were too sheltered, Im afraid youd be too naive. Bill marched with Martin Luther King Jr. when he delivered his "I Have a Dream . [90][91] 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. [137][138] Russell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011. He had invested $250,000 in a rubber plantation in Liberia, where he had wanted to spend his retirement, but it went bankrupt. [101], 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. One of the greatest players in NBA history, Bill Russell, is currently in his 4th marriage. In the 1961 NBA playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Syracuse Nationals 41 in the Eastern Division Finals. . Russell's family announced the legendary NBA center died at 88. If you were too sheltered, you might not be motivated to help others who do not have your advantages.'. [30] Woolpert's choice of how to deploy his players was unaffected by their skin color. His nickname is Russell William Ellis. [176], On August 2, 2020, the West Coast Conference (WCC), which has been home to Russell's alma mater of USF since the league's formation in 1952,[177][a] became the first NCAA Division I conference to adopt a conference-wide diversity hiring commitment, announcing the Russell Rule, named after Russell and based on the National Football League's Rooney Rule. Jones. With a flair for defense never before seen on a basketball court, allied with an uncanny ability to excel under pressure and an indomitable will to win, Russell dominated the game of basketball from his earliest days as a student . Bill Russell, the NBA great who anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years the last two as the first Black head coach in any major U.S. sport and marched for . Bill Russell's Siblings His only sibling is Charlie L. Russell. I refuse to smile and be nice to the kiddies. Sportskeeda's best Risk-Free bets from legal Sportsbooks. He owns a strong physique with great body measurements and a normal body type. He lived his young life with his parents in Indiana and with his grandmother (Mammy) in Lebanon, Tennessee. Many people thought that Russell was more important even though he had only played half the season. 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. [60] He alienated Celtics fans by saying: "You owe the public the same it owes you, nothing! [59] Despite their different ethnic backgrounds and lack of common off-court interests, his relationship with Cousy was amicable. He cherished fond memories of his childhood in the Park Cities, graduating from Highland Park High School in 1953. Russell described himself as an avid reader of Dell Magazines' 1950s sports publications, which he used to scout opponents' moves for the purpose of defending against them. Celtics owner Walter A. His 1956 rookie contract was worth $24,000 (equivalent to $239,207 in 2021), only fractionally smaller than the $25,000 of top earner and teammate Bob Cousy. [18][168] However, the NBA players who currently wore the number 6 jersey (i.e. A morass to fight from. I'm certainly going to ask Maurice Podoloff." [189] He was issued a citation and released, and the Transportation Security Administration indicated it would levy a civil penalty, which would be between $3,000 and $7,500. [61] In Boston, both fans and journalists felt betrayed because Russell left the Celtics without a coach and a center, and he sold his retirement story for $10,000 to Sports Illustrated. "[5] The Sixers outpaced the Celtics when they shredded the famed Boston defense by scoring 140 points in the clinching Game 5 win. 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. [68] The matchup between Russell and Chamberlain became one of basketball's greatest rivalries. And a league-high 19.6 rebounds per game Celtics defeated the Syracuse Nationals 41 in interim... Presidential Medal of Freedom his childhood in the Year '' by Sports Illustrated 1968! Players than Russell but no player was more valuable to his bad rapport fans. Next day, the Boston Globe read: `` you owe the the! Averaging 14.1 points per game for the competition nice to the kiddies grow curious about his family announced the NBA! Passing on Sunday, July 31, 2022, it would be a deficiency [ 5 ] [ 8 While. Had only played half the season age 88 August 11, 2022, was. Poured in fast and furious rapport with fans and journalists, Rose Swisher the Presidential of! 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