Bill Russell
St. Louis Hawks | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1956–1969 | ||||||||||||||
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Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
Number | 6 | ||||||||||||||
Coaching career | 1966–1988 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
As player: | |||||||||||||||
1956–1969 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
As coach: | |||||||||||||||
1966–1969 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
1973–1977 | Seattle SuperSonics | ||||||||||||||
1987–1988 | Sacramento Kings | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
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Career NBA playing statistics | |||||||||||||||
Points | 14,522 (15.1 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
Rebounds | 21,620 (22.5 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
Assists | 4,100 (4.3 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Career coaching record | |||||||||||||||
NBA | 341–290 (.540) | ||||||||||||||
Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |||||||||||||||
Basketball Hall of Fame as coach | |||||||||||||||
FIBA Hall of Fame as player | |||||||||||||||
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American
At the University of San Francisco, Russell led the
After being chosen by the
Russell served as head coach and general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1973 to 1977. He also coached the Sacramento Kings from 1987 to 1988. Russell worked as a color commentator and authored several books.
Russell was inducted into the
Early life
Family
William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, to Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. Like many Southern towns and cities of that time, Monroe was segregated and the Russells often struggled with racism in their daily lives.[20] Russell's father was once refused service at a gas station until the staff had taken care of all the white customers first. 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.[20] In another incident, Russell's mother was walking outside in a fancy dress when a white policeman accosted her. He told her to go home and remove the dress, which he described as "white woman's clothing".[20]
During World War II, the Second Great Migration began, as large numbers of Black people were moving to the West to look for work there. When Russell was eight years old, his father moved the family out of Louisiana and settled in Oakland, California.[20] While there, they fell into poverty and Russell spent his childhood living in a series of public housing projects.[20]
His father was said to be a "stern, hard man" who initially worked in a paper factory as a janitor, which was a typical "Negro Job"—low-paid and not intellectually challenging, as sports journalist John Taylor commented.
Russell's older brother was playwright Charlie L. Russell.[24]
Initial exposure to basketball
During his early years, Russell struggled to develop his skills as a basketball player. Although Russell was a good runner and jumper and had large hands,[21] he did not understand the game and was cut from the team at Herbert Hoover Junior High School. As a freshman at McClymonds High School in Oakland,[25][26] Russell was almost cut again;[27] as he saw Russell's raw athletic potential, coach George Powles encouraged him to work on his fundamentals.[21] After Russell was cut from the junior varsity basketball team as a junior in high school, Powles gave him a spot on the varsity team and bought him a yearlong community center membership.[28] Since Russell's previous experiences with white authority figures were often negative, warm words from Powles reassured him. Frank Robinson, a future member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, was one of Russell's high school basketball teammates.[29]
Russell soon became noted for his unusual style of defense. He later recalled: "To play good defense ... it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. When I started to jump to make defensive plays and to
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. DeJulio was unimpressed by Russell's meager scoring and "atrocious fundamentals",[32] but he sensed that the young Russell had an extraordinary instinct for the game, especially in the clutch.[32] When DeJulio offered Russell a scholarship, he eagerly accepted.[27] Sports journalist John Taylor described the scholarship offer as a watershed event in Russell's life because Russell realized that basketball was his chance to escape poverty and racism, and he swore to make the best of it.[21] Russell graduated from McClymonds in 1952.[33]
College career
University of San Francisco
Basketball
Russell started college at USF in 1952.
Combining the stature and
The games were often difficult for the USF squad, as Russell and his black teammates became targets of racist jeers, particularly on the road.
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. That did not happen ... My junior year in college, I had what I thought was the one of the best college seasons ever. We won 28 out of 29 games. We won the National Championship. I was the
On the hardwood, Russell's experiences were far more pleasant. He led USF to
Track and field
Besides basketball, Russell represented USF in track and field events. He was a standout in the
1956 Summer Olympics
Before his NBA rookie year, Russell was the captain of the
Under head coach
Professional career
The Harlem Globetrotters invited Russell to join their exhibition basketball squad, but Russell, who was sensitive to any racial prejudice, was enraged by the fact that Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein would only discuss the matter with USF Coach Woolpert, and not Russell. 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. He reasoned that if Saperstein was too smart to speak with him, then he was too smart to play for Saperstein. Russell made himself eligible for the 1956 NBA draft.[62]
In the draft,
The
Boston Celtics (1956–1969)
1956–1958: Rookie champion and early years
Due to his Olympic commitment, Russell could not join the Celtics for the 1956–57 NBA season until December.[65] The 1956–57 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.[66] Russell's first Celtics game came on December 22, 1956, against the St. Louis Hawks.[67] Auerbach assigned him to shut down the Hawks' main scorer, Bob Pettit, and Russell impressed the Boston crowd with his man-to-man defense and shot-blocking.[67] In previous years, the Celtics had been a high-scoring team but lacked the defensive presence needed to close out tight games. 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.[67]
Russell was an elite help defender who allowed the Celtics to play the "Hey, Bill" defense: whenever a Celtic requested additional defensive help, he would shout "Hey, Bill!" Russell was so quick that he could run over for a quick double team and make it back in time if the opponents tried to find the open man.[67] He also became famous for his shot-blocking skills and pundits called his blocks "Wilsonburgers", referring to the Wilson NBA basketballs he "shoved back into the faces of opposing shooters".[67] This skill allowed the other Celtics to play their men aggressively; if they were beaten, they knew that Russell was guarding the basket.[67]
Russell's defense was called into question by Eddie Gottlieb, coach of the Philadelphia Warriors, after the Warriors–Celtics game on January 1, 1957, in which he recorded 17 points and 25 rebounds, plus an assist.[68] Gottlieb protested the next day, saying that Russell played a one-man zone and goaltended numerous times, to only be called once. Auerbach replied that Gottlieb's statements were "absolutely ridiculous" and said any controversy was "a question of sour grapes".[69]
Constantly provoked by New York Knicks center Ray Felix during a game, he complained to coach Auerbach, who told him to take matters into his own hands. After the next provocation, Russell pounded Felix to the point of unconsciousness, paid a modest $25 fine, and rarely was the target of cheap fouls thereafter.[67]
At that time, Russell received much negative publicity as a player. He was notorious for his public surliness. Because Russell ignored virtually any well-wisher who approached him home or away, as well as the vast majority of media, his autograph was among the most difficult to secure of any professional athlete of his time.[67] Russell had a cordial relationship with many of his teammates, with the notable exception of Heinsohn, his old rival and fellow rookie. Russell 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. The relationship between the two was tenuous at best.[70] Despite their different ethnic backgrounds and lack of common off-court interests, his relationship with Cousy was amicable.[71]
Russell played 48 games, averaging 14.7 points per game and a league-high 19.6 rebounds per game.[1] The Celtics finished the 1956–57 regular season with a 44–28 record, the team's second-best record since beginning play in the 1946–47 BAA season, which guaranteed Russell his first NBA playoffs appearance,[72] where the Celtics met with the Syracuse Nationals, a team led by Dolph Schayes, through the Eastern Division finals. In his first playoff game, Russell finished with 16 points and 31 rebounds, along with 7 reported blocks, which were not yet an officially registered statistic.[63] After the Celtics' 108–89 victory, Schayes, who made Johnny Kerr come off the bench because he struggled against Russell in the regular season, quipped: "How much does that guy make a year? 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."[63] The next day, The Boston Globe read: "Russell's Reflexes Befuddles Visitors."[63]
The Celtics swept the Nationals in three games to earn the franchise's first
At the start of the
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.[76] The teams split the first two games, but Russell went down with a foot injury in Game 3 and only returned for Game 6. The Celtics won Game 4 in an upset, but the Hawks prevailed in Games 5 and 6, with Pettit scoring 50 points in the deciding Game 6.[76] 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."[76]
1958–1966: Eight straight NBA championships
In the 1958–59 NBA season, Russell averaged 16.7 points per game and 23.0 rebounds per game.[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 the 1959 NBA Finals, the Celtics recaptured the NBA title, sweeping the Minneapolis Lakers 4–0.[77] Lakers head coach John Kundla praised Russell, stating: "We don't fear the Celtics without Bill Russell. Take him out and we can beat them ... He's the guy who whipped us psychologically."[63]
In the
On February 5, 1960, Russell had 23 points, 51 rebounds, and 5 assists in a 124–100 win over the Syracuse Nationals.[80] It was the record for most rebounds in a single game until November 24, 1960, when Chamberlain grabbed 55 rebounds against Russell,[81] who led the Celtics to a 132–129 win over the Philadelphia Warriors with 18 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists.[82] Boston won a then-record 59 regular-season games, including a then-record tying 17-game win streak. In the 1960 NBA playoffs, Russell's Celtics met Chamberlain's Warriors in the Eastern Division finals. Chamberlain outscored Russell by 81 points in the series, but the Celtics walked off with a 4–2 series win.[83][84] In the 1960 NBA Finals, the Celtics outlasted the Hawks 4–3 in the series and won their third championship in four years.[72] Russell scored 21 points and grabbed an NBA Finals-record 40 rebounds, plus an assist, in a Game 2 loss,[85] and he added 22 points and 35 rebounds, along with 4 assists,[86] in the deciding Game 7, a 122–103 victory for Boston.[6][63]
In the 1960–61 NBA season, Russell averaged 16.9 points and 23.9 rebounds per game,[1] leading his team to a regular season mark of 57–22. In the 1961 NBA playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Syracuse Nationals 4–1 in the Eastern Division finals. 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,[87] and Boston won the 1961 NBA Finals in five games.[88]
In the
In the
The Celtics lost Cousy to retirement after the
In the 1963–64 NBA season, the Celtics posted a league-best 58–22 record in the regular season. 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.[1] Boston defeated the Cincinnati Royals 4–1 to earn another NBA Finals appearance and then won against Chamberlain's newly relocated San Francisco Warriors 4–1.[102][103] 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. Russell later called it the best team of his era and the best defense of all time.[6]
In the 1964–65 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.[1] On March 11, 1965, in a 112–100 win over the Detroit Pistons, Russell grabbed 49 rebounds, which tied for the third-most in a single game in NBA history,[104] along with 27 points and 6 assists.[105]
In the 1965 NBA playoffs, the Celtics played the Eastern Division finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that had traded for Chamberlain. Russell held Chamberlain to a pair of field goals in the first three quarters of Game 3.[106] 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 1973–74 NBA season. Schayes, who had become the 76ers coach, said: "The Celtics can thank the Good Lord for Bill Russell."[63] That playoff series ended in a dramatic Game 7, when the Sixers were trailing 110–109 five seconds before the end, but Russell turned over the ball. 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! It's all over! Johnny Havlicek stole the ball!"[6] After the Division finals, the Celtics had an easier time in the NBA Finals,[107] winning 4–1 against the Los Angeles Lakers.[6][108]
In the 1965–66 NBA season, Russell contributed 12.9 points and 22.8 rebounds per game. This was the first time in seven years that he failed to average at least 23 rebounds a game.[1] The Celtics won the 1966 NBA Finals and their eighth consecutive title.[6] Russell's team again beat Chamberlain's Philadelphia 76ers 4–1 in the Eastern Division finals, proceeding to win the NBA Finals in a tight showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Russell scoring 25 points and grabbing 32 rebounds, plus giving out an assist,[109] in a 95–93 win in Game 7.[108]
1966–1969: Player-coach champion and final seasons
Celtics coach Red Auerbach retired before the 1966–67 NBA season. To coach the Celtics, he had initially wanted his old player Frank Ramsey, who was too occupied running his three lucrative nursing homes.[110] His second choice was Cousy, who declined the invitation, stating that he did not want to coach his former teammates.[110] Third choice Tom Heinsohn also said no because he did not think he could handle the often surly Russell,[110] whom he proposed as a player-coach.[110] On April 16, 1966, Russell agreed to become head coach of the Celtics, and a public announcement was made two days later.[111] Russell became the first black head coach in NBA history,[6] and he commented to journalists: "I wasn't offered the job because I am a Negro, I was offered it because Red figured I could do it."[110]
When he became player-coach, Russell bluntly said to his teammates that "he intended to cut all personal ties to other players" and seamlessly made the transition from their peer to their superior.[112] At the time his additional role of coach was announced, Russell publicly stated he believed Red Auerbach's impact as a coach confined every or almost every relationship with each Celtic player to a strictly professional one. Russell regarded Auerbach as "the greatest of all coaches".[113]
Boston's championship streak ended at eight in his first full season as head coach when Chamberlain's Philadelphia 76ers won a record-breaking 68 regular-season games and were the favorites heading into the 1967 NBA playoffs, where they beat the Celtics 4–1 in the Eastern Division finals.[114] During the series, Russell said: "Right now, he (Wilt) is playing like me [to win]."[6] The Sixers outpaced the Celtics when they shredded the famed Boston defense by scoring 140 points in the clinching Game 5 win.[115] 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."[115] The game still ended on a high note for Russell. 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. Suddenly, his grandfather broke down crying. Asked by Russell what was wrong, his grandfather replied how proud he was of him, being coach of an organization in which blacks and whites coexisted in harmony.[115]
In the 1967–68 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.[116] In the Eastern Division finals of the 1968 NBA playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers had the better record than Boston and were the favorites. 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. In a game called as "unreal" and "devoid of emotion", the Sixers lost 127–118 on April 5. In Game 2, Philadelphia evened the series with a 115–106 win and then went on to win Games 3 and 4. As Chamberlain was often defended by Celtics backup center Wayne Embry, the press speculated that Russell was worn down. Prior to Game 5, no NBA team had ever come back from a 3–1 deficit. The Celtics rallied back, winning Game 5 122–104 and Game 6 114–106, powered by a spirited Havlicek and helped by a terrible Sixers shooting slump.[117]
In Game 7, 15,202 Philadelphia fans witnessed a home-team 100–96 defeat, making it the first time in NBA history a team lost a series after leading 3–1. Russell limited Chamberlain to only two shot attempts in the second half.
Duiring the 1968–69 NBA season, Russell was shocked by the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, disillusioned by the Vietnam War, and weary from his increasingly stale marriage to his wife Rose; the couple later divorced. He was convinced that the U.S. was a corrupt nation and that he was wasting his time playing something as superficial as basketball.[119] 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.[119] Russell pulled himself together and put up 9.9 points and 19.3 rebounds per game;[1] the aging Celtics stumbled through the regular season. Their 48–34 record was the team's worst since the 1955–56 NBA season and they entered the 1969 NBA playoffs as the fourth-seeded team in the East.[120]
Russell and the Celtics achieved upsets over the 76ers and the Knicks to earn a meeting with the
The Celtics were ahead by nine points with five minutes remaining; in addition, West was limping after a Game 5 thigh injury and Chamberlain had left the game with an injured leg.
Days later, 30,000 Celtics fans cheered their returning heroes. Russell, who once said he owed the public nothing,[123] was not there; he ended his career and cut all ties to the Celtics.[121] It was so surprising that Auerbach was blindsided and made the mistake of drafting guard Jo Jo White instead of a center.[124] Although White became a standout Celtics player, Boston lacked an All-Star center, went 34–48 in the 1969–70 NBA season, and failed to make it to the 1970 NBA playoffs, marking the first time since 1950 that they did not make the playoffs.[72] 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. Russell was accused of selling out the future of the franchise for a month of his salary.[124] 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".[125]
Earnings
During his playing career, Russell was one of the first big earners in NBA basketball. His 1956 rookie contract was worth $24,000 (equivalent to $268,965 in 2023), only fractionally smaller than the $25,000 of top earner and teammate Bob Cousy.[67] Russell never had to work part-time. 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.[126] When Wilt Chamberlain became the first NBA player to earn $100,000 in salary in 1965 (equivalent to $966,843 in 2023), Russell went to Auerbach and demanded a $100,001 salary, which he promptly received.[127][128] For his promotion to coach, the Celtics paid Russell an annual salary of $25,000 which was in addition to his salary as a player. Although the salary was touted in the press as a record for an NBA coach, it is unclear whether Russell's continued $100,001 salary as a player was included in the calculation.[129] Russell also had a shoe designed by Bristol Manufacturing Corporation in 1966, the Bill Russell Professional Basketball Shoe.[130]
Russell–Chamberlain relations
For most of his career, Russell and his perennial opponent
Chamberlain's knee was injured so badly that he could not play the entire offseason and he ruptured it the next season. The two men did not speak to each other for more than twenty years until Russell met with Chamberlain and personally apologized.[133] After that, the two were often seen together at various events and interviewed as friends. When Chamberlain died in 1999, Chamberlain's nephew said that Russell was the second person he was told to call.[22] 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".[134]
Chamberlain outscored Russell 30 to 14.2 and outrebounded him 28.2 to 22.9 in the regular season, and he also outscored him 25.7 to 14.9 and outrebounded him 28 to 24.7 in the playoffs. Russell's Celtics went 57–37 in the regular season against Chamberlain's teams and 29–20 in the playoffs, Chamberlain's losing seven of the eight series.[81]
Racist abuse, controversy, and relationship with Boston fans
Russell's life was marked by an uphill battle against racism and controversial actions and statements in response to racism. As a child, he witnessed how his parents were victims of racial abuse, and the family eventually moved into government
Even after he became a star with the Celtics, Russell was the victim of racial abuse. When the NBA All-Stars toured the U.S. in the 1958 offseason, white hotel owners in segregated North Carolina denied rooms to Russell and his black teammates, causing him to later write in his 1966 memoir Go Up for Glory: "It stood out, a wall which understanding cannot penetrate. You are a Negro. You are less. It covered every area. A living, smarting, hurting, smelling, greasy substance which covered you. A morass to fight from."
As a consequence of his endured racist abuse, Russell was extremely sensitive to all racial prejudice. According to sportswriter Taylor, in a 2005 book, Russell often perceived insults even if others did not.
In a 1963 article by Sports Illustrated, Russell said he had "never met a finer person [than George Powles] ... I owe so much to him it's impossible to express."[137] Years after Taylor's book, Russell published the autobiographical account Red and Me, which chronicled his lifelong friendship with Auerbach. 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."[139] In the book, Russell wrote: "Whenever I leave the Celtics locker room, even Heaven wouldn't be good enough because anywhere else is a step down ... With Red [Auerbach] and Walter Brown, I was the freest athlete on the planet. I could always be myself with them and they were always there for me."[140] Describing the Celtics organization, as distinguished from Boston sports fans in the 1950s and 1960s, as very progressive racially, Russell recalled in 2010 a list of the organization's accomplishments on racial progress both in terms of objective milestones and his own subjective experience as a member of the organization. He said:
The Celtics were the first [NBA basketball] team to draft a black player, period: a guy named Chuck Cooper from Duquesne. The first team to start five black players was the Boston Celtics. The first [NBA organization] to hire a black [head] coach was the Boston Celtics, and they've had at least five [black head-coaches] over the years.
And so the guy that owned the Celtics [Walter Brown] was [in addition to Auerbach for whom Russell expressed "respect" and "actual love"] another one of the fine, good, and decent human beings that I've ever encountered. 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. Cooper, the Boston Celtics will never embarrass you." That's the first thing Walter Brown said to Chuck Cooper. And that's the kind of guy [Brown] was.
And so the Celtics—all we looked for was: "Can he play?" And what we would do is—[Auerbach] trusted all his players—so like when he'd make a coaching decision, he could talk: he talked to [Bob] Cousy [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?" [Auerbach would] get the information from us and then make a decision based on that information and his thoughts. So we never, or at least I never, ever considered him as having ulterior motives for whatever he did.[141]
In 1966, Russell was promoted to head coach of the Celtics. 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?" He replied: "Yes." When the reporter asked how, Russell responded: "Because the most important factor is respect. And in basketball I respect a man for his ability, period."[111][142] 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. This attitude contributed to his bad rapport with fans and journalists.[71] He alienated Celtics fans by saying: "You owe the public the same it owes you, nothing! I refuse to smile and be nice to the kiddies."[123]
This supported the opinion of many white fans that Russell, who was by then the highest-paid Celtic, was egotistical, paranoid, and hypocritical. The already hostile atmosphere between Russell and Boston hit its apex when vandals broke into his house in
Russell refused to attend the ceremony when his jersey No. 6 was retired in 1972; he also refused to attend his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1975.[135] 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.[148] On November 15, 2019, Russell accepted the Hall of Fame ring in a private ceremony with family.[149] When Russell originally retired, he demanded that his jersey be retired in an empty Boston Garden.[150]
In 1995, the Celtics left the Boston Garden and moved into 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.[138] Perennially wary of what he long perceived as a racist city, Russell decided to make amends and gave his approval. On May 6, 1999, the Celtics re-retired Russell's jersey in a ceremony attended by his on-court rival and friend Chamberlain, along with Celtics legend Larry Bird and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The crowd gave Russell a prolonged standing ovation, which brought tears to his eyes.[150] He thanked Chamberlain for taking him to the limit and "making [him] a better player", and the crowd for "allowing [him] to be a part of their lives."[138] In December 2008, the We Are Boston Leadership Award was presented to Russell.[151]
Post-playing career and endeavors
In 1971, Russell joined NBA on ABC to do commentary on the Game of the Week.[152] His No. 6 jersey was retired by the Celtics on March 12, 1972,[153] Russell had worn the same number 6 at the USF and for the 1956 U.S. Olympic team.[154] He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. Russell, who had a difficult relationship with the media, did not attend either ceremony.[135] He attended his 2021 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.[155]
After retiring as a player, Russell had stints as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (1973–1977) and Sacramento Kings (1987–1988). His time as a non-playing 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 162–166 record. Russell's stint with the Kings was considerably shorter, his last assignment ending when the Kings went 17–41 to begin the 1987–88 NBA season.[156] He finished with a 341–290 regular season record and was 34–27 in the playoffs.[157] Russell also served as general manager of the SuperSonics during his coaching tenure,[158] and held the same position with the Kings during the 1988–89 season.[159] In addition, Russell ran into financial trouble. He had invested $250,000 in a rubber plantation in Liberia, where he had wanted to spend his retirement, but it went bankrupt.[123] 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. The Internal Revenue Service discovered that Russell owed $34,430 in tax money and put a lien on his house.[138]
Russell became a vegetarian, took up
Russell made few public appearances in the early 1990s, living as a near-recluse on Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle. Following Chamberlain's death in October 1999, Russell returned to prominence at the turn of the millennium.[164] In 2001, Russell and David Falkner published Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership from the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner.[165] Russell 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 Shaq–Kobe feud in January 2006.[166] On November 17, the two-time NCAA champion Russell was recognized for his impact on college basketball as a member of the founding class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was one of five, along with James Naismith, Oscar Robertson, Dean Smith, and John Wooden, selected to represent the inaugural class.[167] On May 20, 2007, Russell was awarded an honorary doctorate by Suffolk University, where he served as its commencement speaker.[168] Russell also received honorary degrees from Harvard University on June 7, 2007,[169] and from Dartmouth College on June 14, 2009.[170] On June 18, 2007, Russell was inducted as a member of the founding class of the FIBA Hall of Fame.[171][172] In 2008, Russell received the Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement.[173][174]
On February 14, 2009, NBA Commissioner
On September 26, 2017, Russell posted a photograph of himself to a previously unused Twitter account in which he was
Accomplishments and legacy
Russell is one of the most successful and decorated athletes in North American sports history.[9][46] His awards and achievements include eleven NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in thirteen seasons,[59] two of which were won as player-coach,[182] and he is credited with having raised defensive play in the NBA to a new level.[183] By winning the 1956 NCAA championship with USF and the 1957 NBA title with the Celtics,[184] Russell became the first of only five players in basketball history to win an NCAA championship and an NBA championship in back-to-back seasons, the others being Henry Bibby, Magic Johnson, Billy Thompson, and Christian Braun.[185] He also won two state championships in high school. In the interim, Russell won an Olympic gold medal in 1956.[6][49] His stint as coach of the Celtics was also of historical significance,[186][187] as he became the first black head coach in the NBA,[14] when he succeeded Red Auerbach.[188][189]
In his first NBA full season (1957–58), 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. He is one of just two NBA players (the other being Wilt Chamberlain) to have grabbed more than 50 rebounds in a game.[81] He still holds the NBA record for rebounds in one half with 32 (vs. Philadelphia, November 16, 1957). 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.[6] As of 2024, Russell is the leader for most career rebounds, most minutes per game (42.3), and most rebounds per game in Celtics franchise history.[190] 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. Russell also had seven regular-season games with 40 or more rebounds, the NBA Finals record for highest rebound per game average (29.5, 1959) and by a rookie (22.9, 1957).[6] In addition, Russell holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most rebounds (40, March 29, 1960, vs. St. Louis, and April 18, 1962, vs. Los Angeles), most rebounds in a quarter (19, April 18, 1962, vs. Los Angeles), and most consecutive games with 20 or more rebounds (15 from April 9, 1960 – April 16, 1963).[191] He also had 51 in one game, 49 in two others, and twelve straight seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds.[6] Russell was known as one of the most clutch players in the NBA.[192] He played in eleven deciding games (ten times in Game 7s, once in a Game 5) and ended with a 11–0 record. In these eleven games, Russell averaged 18.3 points and 29.4 rebounds.[63]
Russell was considered the consummate defensive center, noted for his defensive intensity, basketball
Russell was driven by "a neurotic need to win", as his Celtic teammate Tom Heinsohn observed.[123] 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.[193] 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 him—someone like Chamberlain, or someone coming up that everyone's touting. [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.'"[194] In a retrospective interview, Russell described the state of mind he felt he needed to enter in order to be able to play basketball: "I had to almost be in a rage. Nothing went on outside the borders of the court. I could hear anything, I could see anything, and nothing mattered. And I could anticipate every move that every player made."[195]
In his career, Russell won five
For his achievements, Russell was named "Sportsman of the Year" by
Of Russell, former NBA player and head coach
On August 11, 2022, it was announced that Russell's No. 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
Statue
In 2013,
West Coast Conference's Russell Rule
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,[221][c] 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. In its announcement, the WCC stated: "The 'Russell Rule' requires each member institution to include a member of a traditionally underrepresented community in the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach position in the athletic department."[222]
NBA career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
† | Won an NBA championship | * | Led the league | ‡ | NBA record |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1956–57† | Boston | 48 | 35.3 | .427 | .492 | 19.6* | 1.8 | 14.7 |
1957–58 | Boston
|
69 | 38.3 | .442 | .519 | 22.7* | 2.9 | 16.6 |
1958–59† | Boston
|
70 | 42.6* | .457 | .598 | 23.0* | 3.2 | 16.7 |
1959–60† | Boston
|
74 | 42.5 | .467 | .612 | 24.0 | 3.7 | 18.2 |
1960–61† | Boston | 78 | 44.3 | .426 | .550 | 23.9 | 3.4 | 16.9 |
1961–62† | Boston | 76 | 45.2 | .457 | .575 | 23.6 | 4.5 | 18.9 |
1962–63† | Boston | 78 | 44.9 | .432 | .555 | 23.6 | 4.5 | 16.8 |
1963–64† | Boston | 78 | 44.6 | .433 | .550 | 24.7* | 4.7 | 15.0 |
1964–65† | Boston | 78 | 44.4 | .438 | .573 | 24.1* | 5.3 | 14.1 |
1965–66† | Boston | 78 | 43.4 | .415 | .551 | 22.8 | 4.8 | 12.9 |
1966–67 | Boston | 81* | 40.7 | .454 | .610 | 21.0 | 5.8 | 13.3 |
1967–68† | Boston | 78 | 37.9 | .425 | .537 | 18.6 | 4.6 | 12.5 |
1968–69† | Boston | 77 | 42.7 | .433 | .526 | 19.3 | 4.9 | 9.9 |
Career | 963 | 42.3 | .440 | .561 | 22.5 | 4.3 | 15.1 | |
All-Star | 12 | 28.5 | .459 | .529 | 11.5 | 3.2 | 10.0 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1957† | Boston | 10 | 40.9 | .365 | .508 | 24.4 | 3.2 | 13.9 |
1958 | Boston | 9 | 39.4 | .361 | .606 | 24.6 | 2.7 | 15.1 |
1959† | Boston | 11 | 45.1 | .409 | .612 | 27.7 | 3.6 | 15.5 |
1960† | Boston | 13 | 44.0 | .456 | .707 | 25.8 | 2.9 | 18.5 |
1961† | Boston | 10 | 46.2 | .427 | .523 | 29.9 | 4.8 | 19.1 |
1962† | Boston | 14 | 48.0 | .458 | .726 | 26.4 | 5.0 | 22.4 |
1963† | Boston | 13 | 47.5 | .453 | .661 | 25.1 | 5.1 | 20.3 |
1964† | Boston | 10 | 45.1 | .356 | .552 | 27.2 | 4.4 | 13.1 |
1965† | Boston | 12 | 46.8 | .527 | .526 | 25.2 | 6.3 | 16.5 |
1966† | Boston | 17 | 47.9 | .475 | .618 | 25.2 | 5.0 | 19.1 |
1967 | Boston | 9 | 43.3 | .360 | .635 | 22.0 | 5.6 | 10.6 |
1968† | Boston | 19 | 45.7 | .409 | .585 | 22.8 | 5.2 | 14.4 |
1969† | Boston | 18 | 46.1 | .423 | .506 | 20.5 | 5.4 | 10.8 |
Career | 165 | 45.4 | .430 | .603 | 24.9‡ | 4.7 | 16.2 |
Head coaching record
Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston | 1966–67 | 81 | 60 | 21 | .671 | 2nd in Eastern | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 | Lost in Division finals |
Boston | 1967–68 | 82 | 54 | 28 | .659 | 2nd in Eastern | 19 | 12 | 7 | .632 | Won NBA championship |
Boston | 1968–69 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 4th in Eastern | 18 | 12 | 6 | .667 | Won NBA championship |
Seattle | 1973–74 | 82 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 3rd in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Seattle | 1974–75 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 2nd in Pacific | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 | Lost in Conference semifinals |
Seattle | 1975–76 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 2nd in Pacific | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in Conference semifinals |
Seattle | 1976–77 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 4th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Sacramento | 1987–88 | 58 | 17 | 41 | .293 | (dismissed) | — | — | — | — | — |
Career | 631 | 341 | 290 | .540 | 61 | 34 | 27 | .557 |
Personal life and death
Russell was a resident of Mercer Island, Washington, for nearly five decades.[223]
In 1959, Russell became the first NBA player to visit Africa.[224]
Russell was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, having been initiated into its Gamma Alpha chapter while a student at University of San Francisco.[225]
On October 16, 2013, Russell was arrested for bringing his registered, loaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun to the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.[226] 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.[226]
Marriages and children
Russell was married to his college sweetheart Rose Swisher from 1956 to 1973. They had three children: daughter Karen Russell, a television pundit and lawyer, and sons William Jr. and Jacob. The couple grew emotionally distant and divorced.[227] In 1977, he married Dorothy Anstett, Miss USA of 1968;[227] they divorced in 1980.[228] In 1996, Russell married his third wife, Marilyn Nault;[229] their marriage lasted until her death in January 2009.[230] Russell was married to Jeannine Russell at the time of his death.[231][232]
Personality
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."[233] In 2009, Russell wrote his paternal grandfather's motto, passed down to his father and then to him: "A man has to draw a line inside himself that he won't allow any man to cross." Russell said he was "proud of my grandfather's heroic dignity against forces more powerful than him ... he would not allow himself to be oppressed or intimidated by anyone." He wrote these words after recounting how grandfather Jake Russell had stood up to the Ku Klux Klan and other whites who attempted to thwart his efforts to build a schoolhouse for black children; his grandfather was the first person in Russell's patrilineal line born free in North America and was himself illiterate.[234][235] Russell's motto became: "If you disrespect that line, you disrespect me."[236]
Russell was known for his distinctive high-pitched laugh, of which Red Auerbach quipped: "There are only two things that could make me quit coaching. My wife and Russell's laugh."[137] To teammates and friends, Russell was open and amicable; he was extremely distrusting and cold towards anyone else.[123] Journalists were often treated to the "Russell Glower", described as an "icily contemptuous stare accompanied by a long silence".[123] 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.[123]
Death
Russell died at his Mercer Island, Washington, home on July 31, 2022, at the age of 88.
Selected publications
- Russell, Bill; McSweeny, William (1966). Go Up for Glory. Coward-McCann.
- Russell, Bill; ISBN 978-0-394-50385-1.
- Russell, Bill; Faulkner, David (2001). Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership from the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner. New American Library. ISBN 0-525-94598-9.
- Russell, Bill; Steinberg, Alan (2009). Red and Me: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend. Harper. ISBN 978-0-06-176614-5.
Documentary series
- Bill Russell: Legend, Netflix, 2023
See also
- List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career minutes played leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff triple-double leaders
- List of National Basketball Association annual rebounding leaders
- List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders
- List of National Basketball Association single-game rebounding leaders
- List of National Basketball Association single-season rebounding leaders
- List of National Basketball Association rookie single-season rebounding leaders
- List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks
- List of NBA players with most championships
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career rebounding leaders
- Race and ethnicity in the NBA
Footnotes
- ^ Russell won 11 NBA championships as a player for the Boston Celtics. Those 11 championships include two that he won as the team's player-coach.[2]
- ^ Russell won 11 NBA championships as a player for the Boston Celtics. Those 11 championships include two that he won as the team's player-coach.[3]
- ^ During Russell's college career, the conference was known as the California Basketball Association.[221]
References
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- ^ "Bill Russell Dies at Age 88; Hall of Famer Won 11 NBA Titles with Celtics". Bleacher Report.
- ^ "Double down on No. 11s". ESPN. November 11, 2011. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Schneider, Bernie (2006). "1953–56 NCAA Championship Seasons: The Bill Russell Years". University of San Francisco. Archived from the original on November 28, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Bill Russell". National Basketball Association. 2002. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2006 – via Newsone.com.
- ^ Nerkar, Santul; Paine, Neil (August 1, 2022). "Bill Russell's Trailblazing Legacy Is Secure (Even If Stats Can't Measure It)". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "The game's greatest giants ever". ESPN. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
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- ^ ISBN 1-4000-6114-8.
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- ^ ISBN 1-4000-6114-8.
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His name is Bill Russell and if he ever learns to hit the basket someone is going to have to revise the rules.
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- ISBN 978-0-8032-2444-5.
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USF's versatile Bill Russell and Compton's Charlie Dumas cleared 6–9"-1/4 and tried for the magic ceiling of seven feet. On his third attempt, Russell just missed breaking 6–9"-1/2, the record set by Walt Davis of Texas A&M
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{{cite magazine}}
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Bill Russell receives the Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement from Council Member Willie L. Brown, the former Mayor of San Francisco, during the 2008 International Achievement Summit in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
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Russell is more effective against me than any other defender in the NBA because he catches me off guard with his moves. Sometimes, he's playing in front of me. Other times he's in back of me. He keeps me guessing. He plays me tight this time, loose the next time. I've got to look around to find out where he is. It means I'm concentrating on him as much as my shot. And, of course, nobody has quite the timing he does in blocking shots.
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- ISBN 0-313-33091-3.
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- ISBN 978-0-06-176614-5.
- ISBN 978-0-06-176614-5.
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Further reading
- Goudsouzian, Aram (2010). King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25887-7.
- Heisler, Mark (2003). Giants: The 25 Greatest Centers of All Time. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-577-1.
- Kornheiser, Tony (1999). "Bill Russell: Nothing but a Man". In MacCambridge, Michael (ed.). ESPN SportsCentury. New York City: Hyperion-ESPN Books. pp. 178–189.
- ISBN 0-671-74279-5.
- Pomerantz, Gary M. (2019). The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters in the End. New York City: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-7352-2363-9.
- Taylor, John (2005). The Rivalry: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Golden Age of Basketball. New York City: Random House. ISBN 1-4000-6114-8.
External links
- Bill Russell at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- FIBA Hall of Fame on Russell
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Bill Russell at IMDb