Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell passed away Sunday at the age of 88, in an announcement that came from his official Twitter account. Russell spent his entire 14 year career with Boston, and helped lead the franchise to 11 World Titles.
Russell played at the University of San Francisco from 1953-1956, where he led the Dons to back to back NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. He also captained and helped lead the 1956 United States National Team to a gold medal in the Summer Olympics. He was taken second overall in the 1956 NBA Draft originally by the St. Louis Hawks, before landing in Boston. He averaged 15.1 points per game, 22.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in his NBA career winning championships with the Celtics in 1957, eight straight from 1959-1966, and in 1968 and 1969 where he was a player coach. He is tied for the most titles ever by a professional athlete in a North American sports league with Joseph Henri Richard, who won 11 NHL Stanley Cups with the Montreal Candiens in his 20 year playing career. Russell was a player coach from 1966-69 in his final seasons with Boston, and went on to coach the Seattle Supersonics 1973-77 and Sacremento Kings in 1987 and 1988. He leaves behind three children: Jacob Russell, William Russell Jr., and Karen Russell.
This is a list of his career accomplishments-
- 11× NBA champion (1957, 1959–1966, 1968, 1969)
- 5× NBA Most Valuable Player (1958, 1961–1963, 1965)
- 12× NBA All-Star (1958–1969)
- NBA All-Star Game MVP (1963)
- 3× All-NBA First Team (1959, 1963, 1965)
- 8× All-NBA Second Team (1958, 1960–1962, 1964, 1966–1968)
- NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969)
- 4× NBA rebounding champion (1958, 1959, 1964, 1965)
- NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)
- NBA anniversary team (25th, 35th, 50th, 75th)
- No. 6 retired by Boston Celtics
- 2× NCAA champion (1955, 1956)
- NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1955)
- UPI College Player of the Year (1956)
- 2× Helms Player of the Year (1955, 1956)
- 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1955, 1956)
- WCC Player of the Year (1956)
- No. 6 retired by San Francisco Dons
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011)
As coach:
- 2× NBA champion (1968, 1969)
