POLLARD: Yeah, I hope that they walk away understanding that he was not only a great basketball player, but he was also a great man and a complicated man. NBA Sacramento Kings, player/head coach (1987-1988). He didnt shut up and dribble. So the Celtics traded centre Ed Macauley and the rights to guard-forward Cliff Hagan, who had yet to play in the NBA owing to his military service, to the St. Louis Hawks shortly after the Hawks used the second overall pick of the draft to select Russell. | Born: February 12, 1934Played all 13 seasons with CelticsFive-time NBA MVPEleven-time NBA championNo. Named to NBA's 25th, 35th, 50th and 75th anniversary teamsTwelve-time NBA All-StarNamed Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in 1968Induced into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on April 28, 1975Member of gold-medal winning US Olympic team in 1956 When Russell was 10, his father, Charlie, fed up with trying to navigate a racially charged South, moved his family across the country to Oakland, California, where he found work at a shipyard. Bill Russell was born in 1934 in Louisiana and when he was eight years old his family moved west to Oakland, California during WWII looking for a new life. West Monroe, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States, Mercer Island, King County, Washington, United States. Considered one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. His marriage with Rose produced 3 children of which one, Karen Russell is a renowned television pundit and lawyer. Rose and Bill were college sweethearts and were together for much of Bills NBA success. NBA legend and Hall of Famer Bill Russell died Sunday at the age of 88. Why this film and why now? After his initial retirement from basketball as a player-coach, Russell worked as a commentator from 1970-73 then returned to basketball to coach the Seattle Supersonics. What happened to Lil Durk at Lollapalooza 2022? The series airs on Wednesday, February 8, and fans want to know more about his personal life. Well, I was 9 years old, and I did what 9 year olds are supposed to. We go back to our place and Im crying. In 1956 Red Auerbachthe Celtics head coach and general managertargeted Russell in the NBA draft, seeing the solution to his teams shortcomings. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Copyright 2023 NPR. Bill Russell has been married on 4 different occasions but had never kept a marriage for up to 2 decades, the longest being 17 years (19561973) to a lady called POLLARD: My pleasure, Michel. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. The victory got Russell his 10th NBA Championship title in 12 career years and the Sports Illustrateds Sportsman of the Year Award. He was also involved in several build-ups and could intelligently help the team in tight areas and big games. The family moved from Louisiana to Oakland during World War II due to employment opportunities for the blacks in the west at the time. It wasnt who I was.. He was assaulted by a group of guys that ran by. His on-court achievements did not give him a platform; instead, they granted him a strange kind of amnestythe very greatness that should have forced others to listen somehow overshadowed any trouble he might have wanted to stir up. Bill Russell attended the University of San-Francisco and played on the school team presumably due to his height advantage. This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell. 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, POLLARD: Well, first of all, he was a very angry guy about that. Beloved NBA legend Bill Russell has died at the age of 88, his family announced in a statement Sunday. His family said on social media that Russell died on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Shedding light on his life achievements outside basketball, the statement read: But for all the winning, Bills understanding of the struggle is what illuminated his life. The Celtics then lost to Los Angeles in the Forum in Game 5, and the Celtics returned to the Boston Garden in game 6 and won that contest. Granted, it was in part because no one could deal with the moody Russell except Russell himself, but it still made him the first African American coach in NBA history, as well as the first to win a title when Boston took the 196768 championship. The Celtics went on to win 8 more back-to-back NBA championships winning five against the Lakers in the finals to set up one of the biggest rivalries in the NBA. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 as a player and 2021 as a coach. Like, we certainly know, when it comes to Jackie Robinson, you know, the abuse that was directed at him. Although the whole club and their supporters felt betrayed with Russells professional basketball demise, the Celtics board retired his #6 kit number 3 years after his retirement. 6 jersey across the entire league. He could care less, you know, about being someone that In 1969 most of the fabled Celtics had long been gone or had recently retired. Bill hasnt shared how he met his last wife, but he adored her. Bill Russells daughter, Karen, was born in 1962. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. During his days playing in the NBA, brands were not accustomed to signing sponsorship and endorsement deals with players. This site uses cookies to serve you better. This is just one of these examples. Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in the history of American sports, died Sunday. Bill Russells first wife was Rose Swisher, whom he married on December 9, 1956. Frustratingly, his sheer basketball excellence made his actions not only excusable for fans but tolerated in a way that bordered on dismissive. Bill Russell viewed basketball as a science, and played the game with an analytical view as well as with an emotional intensity.Russell played the game psychologically as well, defending his various opponents so well that many times he made those he defended feel like they could not score a basket. In college, the 6-foot 9-inch (2.06-metre) Russell blossomed, providing a defensive presence that helped lead USF to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships in 1955 and 1956. Cass Anderson is the Editor-in-Chief of BroBible. He supported Muhammad Ali when the fighter refused to go to Vietnam. Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side, his family wrote. Its impossible to tell the story of the NBA without also telling the story of Bill Russell. He covers an array of topics including NFL, Pop Culture, Fishing News, and the Outdoors. In the 1958/59 season, the Celtics won the NBA championship with Russell making the most defensive impact in the team. Russell's 6'9" frame also earned plenty of attention. He was voted league MVP five times. Russell's daughter, Karen, is a legal and political analyst, as well as a blogger. In 1979, Russell teamed up with professional writers to publish the Second Wind book and also featured in a 1986 movie named The fix as Judge Ferguson. She has had many amazing accomplishments in her life. Bill Russell was born in 1934 in Louisiana and when he was eight years old his family moved west to Oakland, California during WWII looking for a new life. Bill Russells daughter, Karen, was born in 1962. Like, how did he deal with all of that? Yet in a sport that traditionally celebrates scoring and offensive heroics, Russell was an anomaly: a dominant player for whom making shots was truly secondary. Its impossible to tell the story of the NBA without also telling the story of Bill Russell. It was, however, a milestone made possible by Russells performance and larger significance. Never Have I Ever: Season 3 | Official Trailer | Netflix, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d_N99x0gAAk/hqdefault.jpg. He went to high school in Oakland. However, Russell fought a long and tough battle off the court as well. While studying at the McClymonds High School, he was introduced to basketball as he participated in the school team. She has done a lot of activist work, and her articles can be found in the New York Times Magazine, HuffPost, and many other publications. In 2009, the NBA changed the name of the finals MVP from NBA finals MVP award to Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. In his 1st season, the Celtics failed to reach and win the NBA finals for the 1st time in 8 years. He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. She is reportedly a legal and political analyst who graduated from Georgetown University and Harvard Law School. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He most likely would have led the league in blocked shots many times, but the NBA had not yet started keeping track of the statistic. He led the Boston Celtics to an astounding 11 Championships from 1957 to She detailed the racist vandalism the Russell familys Reading home faced once when they were out of town and listed the racist abuse Bill Russell endured from fans. But there was more to it than that: the white Heinsohn was simply a more attractive candidate for many voters. Bill Russell had three kids, Karen, William Jr., and Jacob. In the wake of her passing he committed himself to his studies. MVP All-Star Game (1963) after 19 points and 24 rebounds. Following his passing on Sunday at 88, tributes poured in fast Bill Russelll described the incident as one that changed my whole attitude sticking up for yourself. July 31, 2022 1:27pm. NBA 25th Anniversary All-Time Team (1970). I was sitting on the steps. Russell used his popularity to fight for civil rights and help others who were in a similar situation. He shared all three kids with his first wife Rose Swisher. Throughout his career, Bill Russell won 11 NBA championship rings. Bill Russell, the greatest defensive player of all time, has a special place in the NBAs Hall of Fame. This unlikely superstar came into the NBA as a center for the Boston Celtics and played for the team for his entire 13 years of career. She went on to win theMiss Washington USA1968 crown title. That day changed my whole attitude about she says I dont want you to ever pick a fight, but always finish the fight youre in. But the Celtics kept winning, and he remained the engine that made them go. In the long line of dominance the Boston Celtics would exercise over the NBA the most legendary years were in his final years. They were together from 1956 to 1973. And she said What!. They are the only children Bill had. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Being fearless on the basketball court was easy. After a successful off-Broadway run, the production became the only one from that theater to ever become a film in 1973. The couple got divorced in 1973. In 13 seasons, Russell won 11 NBA championships (1957, 195966, and 196869). Russell was the first player to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NBA Championship, and a collegiate championship. MARTIN: One of the things that I think people today don't realize is how much he had to put up with as a player. Bill Russell was an American former basketball coach and former professional basketball player who was universally acknowledged as one of the greatest American sportspersons of all time. The oldest son of Bill Russell, William Felton Russell Jr, who was named after the 11-time NBA champion, unfortunately passed away in 2016. I thought she was going to take care of it. Russell would lead these teams over some other among the greatest of all time, including Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Hal Greer, and his most famous rival Wilt Chamberlain.While Russell was rewriting Boston sports history he faced immense racism from the most devout Celtics fan. Bill Russells family announced his demise through a statement on Sunday, July 31. At the international level, he had captained the United States to the Gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Game Seven in the Finals was one of the most legendary ever played in the history of American sports. Go back to Africa, you baboon. But he was a very, you know, well-rounded human being who believed that it was not only a responsibility as a player, but the responsibility of an African American man. moviemuskie@yahoo.com, Other Works In 1964 they became the first team in the NBA to start an all-Black lineup. Updated. He recorded a mean score of 20.7 points and 20.3 rebounds per game. The 11-time NBA champion is survived by his wife Jeannine and two children. I say yes maam. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: No. From his early childhood years, Williams Jr. was fascinated by trucks, and that is why he pursued his passion of being a driver. With his first wife, Rose, to whom he was married for 17 years, he had three children: a daughter, Karen, and two sons, Buddha Bill Russell Wiki/Biography. He was not ready for the coaching job, and did an all around bad job, sadly enough. Bills wife at the time of his death was Jeannine Russell, previously known as Jeannine Fiorito and Jeannine Maddux. The documentary features the last interview with Russell before his passing, as well as archived interviews throughout his life. Off the court, he was a force in the fight for human He missed out on the NBAs Rookie of the Year award, ostensibly because teammate Tom Heinsohn had played the entire season whereas Russell had missed time as a result of his participation in the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games (where he helped the U.S. mens basketball team win a gold medal). Selected by the St. Louis (now Atlanta) Hawks as a territorial draft choice in 1954. He won 11 NBA titles in the 13 seasons that he played with the Boston Celtics, and he became the first African American coach of a modern major professional sports team in the United States when he was named the player-coach of the Celtics in 1966. It is a truly staggering rate of success, one that no other NBA player has come close to approaching. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? But we learned that, you know, he had a very interesting life and complicated life off the court. Russell knew that he had won, but he wanted to win over Chamberlain, and did not. Who was Bill Russells wife? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. His last season came in 1968/69 as he began to age and lose interest in the professionalism of basketball. POLLARD: Yeah, because I think most people see him just as a great sports figure, a legend on the basketball court, and really didn't really dig into how complex his life was off the court. Russell married his first wife Rose in 1956, and the couple had their first child, William Jr., the year after. William Jr, Bills first son, was born in 1957 but passed away from cancer in 2016. Bill Russell who was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks as its first-round second overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft earned a draft trade and was acquired by the Boston Celtics but soon after participated in the Olympics which delayed his participation with the Celtics. In the History of professional sports there has never been an athlete who has more accolades or championships, in other words Bill Russell was not only a champion, but he was perhaps the definition of a champion. You know, I thought he was one of the greatest defensive centers who ever played the game. People broke into his house and destroyed his trophies, among many other outrageous deeds. Bill Russell married his college Girlfriend Rose Swisher in 1956 and had one daughter named Karen Russell and two sons named William Russell Jr & Jacob Russell from the wedlock. I went and told my mother. It seems weird that there hasn't been this kind of full feature-length treatment until now, given the impact that he had. 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