NBA legend Bill Russell passes away at 88

NBA legend William Felton Russell or Bill Russell breathed his last on Sunday. He was at 88. His demise was confirmed through an official statement released by the family. However, the cause of death is still unknown. However, there were reports of Russell not keeping well for a long time. He was even absent from the presentation ceremony of the NBA finals in June.

Bill Russell was one of the legends of the Boston Celtics dynasty and helped the team win 11 championships in 13 years. Russell also served as a player coach for the Celtics and became the first black coach of a US sports team. Under his coaching, the Celtics won two titles. The list of accolades won by Bill Russell is long and includes a hall of fame award, the most valuable player award five times, the all-star award 12 times, two college titles and an Olympic gold medal in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Apart from being one of the greatest to play basketball, Bill Russell was also a well-known face in the movement initiated by Martin Luther King Jr. He also received a presidential medal of freedom from then-president Barack Obama. In 1972, Celtis retired his jersey number 6 to pay tribute to his glorious career. In addition to all the awards, he earned spots on the NBA’s silver-jubilee all-time team in 1970 and the 35th-anniversary all-time team in 1980. He was also named as one of the 50 greatest players in the NBA in 1996.


Born on February 12th, 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana, Bill Russell moved to the West Coast when he was a child, where he completed his high schooling in Oakland, California, and then the University of San Francisco. Russell’s prolific career as a basketball player came to an end after the 1969 finals, after which he served as a coach and GM of the Seattle SuperSonics for four years.