[211] He was often called Felton X, presumably in the tradition of the Nation of Islam's practice of replacing a European slave name with an X and purchased land in Liberia. He went peacefully with his loving wife and children by his side. "Bill's wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you . Together, Russell and Swisher had three children: daughter Karen, and sons William Jr. and Jacob. 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, an 11-time NBA champion as a player and coach with the Boston Celtics and one of the most important figures in NBA history, has died at the age of 88, his family announced. Bill Russell, professional basketball's first Black superstar who reinvented the center position with the 1950s and '60s Boston Celtics, has died. 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. Jacob H. Russell was born on July 6, 1959. Bill Russell was born in Monroe, Louisiana in 1934, to Katie and Charlie Louis Russell. In a 2018 Halloween post, Bill wrote that he and Jeannine "go together like Bacon & Eggs". In the pivotal Game 7, Russell managed to hold Chamberlain to 22 points, 28 points below his season average, while scoring 19 points. [156], On August 11, 2022, it was announced that Russell's No. The couple got divorced in 1973. Celtics owner Walter A. [69] It was the record for most rebounds in a single game until November 24, 1960, when Chamberlain grabbed 55 rebounds against Russell,[13] who led the Celtics to a 132129 win over the Philadelphia Warriors with 18 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists. As Russell takes to the stage to accept the award, some fans may grow curious about his family and children. is LYING to you. He lived his young life with his parents in Indiana and with his grandmother (Mammy) in Lebanon, Tennessee. Russell responded to the honor by tweeting, Just found out I will be receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. [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. "[200], Russell was driven by "a neurotic need to win", as his Celtic teammate Tom Heinsohn observed. The Lakers featured new recruit Chamberlain next to perennial stars Baylor and West, and were the favorites. Over 50 percent of responses said 'There's too many black players. . [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. 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. Russell died on Sunday at the age of 88 with his wife Jeannine by his side, his family said in a statement on Twitter. @celtics . 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 . [56] In previous years, the Celtics had been a high-scoring team but lacked the defensive presence needed to close out tight games. [39][40] During his college career, Russell was the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1955, averaging 20.7 points per game and 20.3 rebounds per game. I averaged over 20 points and over 20 rebounds, and I was the only guy in college blocking shots. [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. [30] Woolpert's choice of how to deploy his players was unaffected by their skin color. Early years Family. [107] It was so surprising that Auerbach was blindsided and made the mistake of drafting guard Jo Jo White instead of a center. His time as a non-player coach was lackluster; he led the struggling SuperSonics into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, but Russell's defensive, team-oriented Celtics mindset did not mesh well with the team, and he left in 1977 with a 162166 record. [67] On November 7, 1959, Russell's Celtics hosted Chamberlain's Warriors and pundits called the matchup between the best offensive and defensive centers "The Big Collision" and "Battle of the Titans". Bill Russell Receives the 2017 NBA Lifetime Achievement Award | NBA on TNT. Bill Russell's Siblings His only sibling is Charlie L. Russell. [19] When he later became a standout college player at USF, Russell recalled how he and his few fellow black teammates were jeered by white students. [185] His older brother was the noted playwright Charlie L. [105] He was 15 pounds overweight, skipped mandatory NBA coach meetings, and was generally lacking energy; after a New York Knicks game, he complained of intense pain and was diagnosed with acute exhaustion. [79] 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. Your login session has expired. Russell articulated these views with a measure of self-criticism, saying: "I consider this a deficiency in myselfmaybe. My wife and Russell's laugh. In 1954, he became the first coach of a major college basketball squad to start three African-American players: K. C. Jones, Hal Perry, and Russell. Russell held Chamberlain to a pair of field goals in the first three quarters of Game 3. He is quoted by Fox Sports as saying that his father lived in Louisiana. With the added defensive presence of Russell, the Celtics had laid the foundation for a dynasty, as the team utilized a strong defensive approach to the game, forcing opposing teams to commit many turnovers, which led to many easy points on fast breaks. He married again Dorothy Anstett (Miss USA 1968) in 1977. "[206] Years after Taylor's book, Russell published the autobiographical account Red and Me, which chronicled his lifelong friendship with Auerbach. [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. FILE - Boston Celtics legendary player Bill Russell is greeted at his seat before Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers . If that isn't goaltending, I want somebody to tell me what it is. "[206] To teammates and friends, Russell was open and amicable; he was extremely distrusting and cold towards anyone else. You are less. Bill Russell's family wrote on social media Sunday morning announcing the NBA legend . The 11-time NBA champion is survived by his wife Jeannine and two children. Over the course of his life, Rusell played 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, during which time he took home 11 championships titles with the team. [53] His former USF and future Celtics teammate K. C. Jones joined him on the Olympic squad and contributed 10.9 points per game,[54] including a RussellJones combined 29 points in the finals. [88] In Game 3, Russell had 21 points, 38 rebounds, and 6 assists. [58], At that time, Russell received much negative publicity as a player. From his early childhood years, Williams Jr. was fascinated by trucks, and that is why he pursued his passion of being a driver. [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. [167] In October 2021, Russell was honored as one of theleague's 75 greatest players of all-time. 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,. [142][155] 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. [56] Russell had a more cordial relationship with many of his teammates with the notable exception of Heinsohn, his old rival and fellow rookie. The Internal Revenue Service discovered that Russell owed $34,430 in tax money and put a lien on his house. He was convinced that the U.S. was a corrupt nation and that he was wasting his time playing something as superficial as basketball. 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?' The family of William 'Mr. Bill' Russell Jones is sad to announce his passing. Russell was also known as a pioneer in the fight for civil rights, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and speaking out about his treatment as a Black player in a city and country where race was often a flash point. 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. [5], For his achievements, Russell was named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated in 1968. Around that time, according to John Taylors book, The Rivalry: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Golden Age of Basketball, they grew emotionally distant and divorced. The burglars had poured beer on the pool table and ripped up the felt," Karen wrote in the . [56] Auerbach assigned him to shut down the Hawks' main scorer and Russell impressed the Boston crowd with his man-to-man defense and shot-blocking. [220] On November 15, 2019, Russell accepted the Hall of Fame ring in a private ceremony with family. Russell had three children with his first wife; two sons and a daughter. [115] While Russell long had sore feelings towards Boston, there was something of a reconciliation, and he visited the city regularly in his later years, something he never did in the years immediately after his retirement. Because Russell ignored virtually any well-wisher who approached him home or away, including the vast majority of media, his autograph was among the most difficult to secure of any professional athlete of his time. [153] 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). [49] Despite this, the Celtics were leading only 9795 with 34 seconds left when Russell closed out the game with several consecutive clutch plays. '"[202], In a retrospective interview, Russell described the state of mind he felt he needed to enter in order to be able to play basketball as if "I had to almost be in a rage. He said: "The Celtics were the first [NBA basketball] team to draft a black player, period: a guy named Chuck Cooper from Duquesne. Bill Russell. [14][190] The news was announced in a Twitter post by his family. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. 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. Karen graduated from Harward Law School and has dissected high-profile trials and national political issues. [20], At USF, Russell became the new starting center for coach Phil Woolpert of the San Francisco Dons. Russell used a copy as extra motivation and told his team to play a running game because in that case it was not the better but the more determined team that was going to win. [76], In the 196162 NBA season, Russell scored a career-high 18.9 points per game, accompanied by 23.6 rebounds per game. He later recalled: "To play good defense it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. 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. NBA Legend Bill Russell receives the 2017 NBA Lifetime Achievement Award. [2] Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League are tied for the record of the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. They are: Karen Rusell, William Russell Jr., and Jacob Russell. Jones. [6][7][8][9] Standing at 6ft 10in (2.08m) tall, with a 7ft 4in (2.24m) arm span,[10][11] his shot-blocking and man-to-man defense were major reasons for the Celtics' dominance during his career. 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. The youngest son of the NBA legend hasn't led a very public life, which is why there isn't much information about him. [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. 1 in NBA history for defensive win shares at 133.6, with Tim Duncan in second at 106.3. He still holds the NBA record for rebounds in one half with 32 (vs. Philadelphia, November 16, 1957). He led USF to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, including a string of 55 consecutive victories, and an unofficial double triple-double with 26 points, 27 rebounds, 20 blocks, 3 steals, and an assist. The centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years, Russell earned his last two NBA titles as a player-coach the first Black coach in any major U.S. sport . [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. [56] Russell never had to work part-time. Sportskeeda's best Risk-Free bets from legal Sportsbooks. Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics is awarded the 1963 NBA All-Star MVP Trophy after the 1963 NBA All-Star Game circa 1963 in Los Angeles,. [196], 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. 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