Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org, More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports. But if those souvenir hounds had taken Russell up on the chance to sit with him for a meal, they might have heard about his obsession with golf. When we first moved to the projects, my mother was getting everything together. Why do you think it is that that part of his life doesn't seem to have gotten the same kind of attention as other athlete activists like the ones that you named, like Jim Brown, like people who - or even, gosh, even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who's thankfully still with us. President Barack Obama at about 6-foot-2, a taller-than-average individual had to stretch a bit when draping the Presidential Medal of Freedom around Russells neck in 2011, even after Russell crouched down to accommodate the moment. But by his senior year, his game had picked up enough to earn him a starting spot. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: There was a full house in Kiel Auditorium on that night in December 1956. Ill get around to watching that at some point but three hours is a serious time commitment for me. He helped the team to the play-offs and his shot-blocking abilities were efficient in the NBA final against the St. Louis Hawks which the Celtics narrowly won. Russell, while no behemoth, was tall enough to make his high school team on height alone. During his three-year varsity career, in which he led the team to consecutive NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956, he averaged 20.7 points and 20.3 rebounds per game. As a kid, Russell spent hours in the library each day reading books about artistic techniques, studying paintings and understanding the importance of each individual brush stroke to the greater picture. She went on to win theMiss Washington USA1968 crown title. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Bill Russell had three kids, Karen, William Jr., and Jacob. She was born on January 20, 1962. At the end of the season Wilt Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, taking Chamberlain to the other arch-rival of the Boston Celtics. MARTIN: So before we let you go, what's important to you? Bill Russells daughter, Karen, was born in 1962. WebAbout Bill Russell Composer William "Bill" Russell (February 26, 1905 August 9, 1992) was an American music historian and modernist composer. He last led the Sacramento Kings as president of basketball operations in the late 1980s. Never Have I Ever: Season 3 | Official Trailer | Netflix, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d_N99x0gAAk/hqdefault.jpg. Russell who began his professional career in the NBA in 1956 and ended it in 1969 with a total of eleven NBA championships won, is arguably one of the greatest basketball players of all time. As a child, he witnessed how his parents were victims of racial abuse, and the family eventually moved into government housing projects to escape the daily torrent of bigotry. 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. Bill Russell, one of the greatest Boston Celtics and NBA players ever, died, his family said Sunday. Hall of Fame basketball center Bill Russell led the University of San Francisco to consecutive NCAA titles before starting his pro career with the Boston Celtics in 1956. 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. But the thing that Bill Russell was always focused on as a player was being a member of the Celtic family. Bill Russells first wife was Rose Swisher, whom he married on December 9, 1956. Following his passing on Sunday at 88, tributes poured in fast Moreover, the Celtics needed to move up in the draft order to pick him; with Russell coming off two straight NCAA titles, some team was bound to take the plunge. I was sitting on the steps. They are Jacob Russell,William Russell Jr.,and Karen Russell. After a successful off-Broadway run, the production became the only one from that theater to ever become a film in 1973. He would direct his blocks to a player releasing on a fast break or off the backboard to keep the ball in play. She is still alive today. Rose and Bill were college sweethearts and were together for much of Bills NBA success. He would not let his defeat in 1967 keep him down. Who are Bill Russell's children? If you have three hours and want to check out Russells story, you can watch this video right below. Before his arrival, the Celtics had been a shot-happy, nearly out-of-control team, led by passing wizard Bob Cousy. Coon. Russell asked for a gun permit. NBA Sacramento Kings, player/head coach (1987-1988). He suffered a financially depressed childhood and faced racial discriminations as a black in the southern state of Louisiana, United States. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). William Felton Russell was born Feb. 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana, before his family moved west, settling in Oakland, California. I went and told my mother. What happened to Lil Durk at Lollapalooza 2022? MARTIN: I have to tell you, you've done so many things - produced and directed and edited award-winning feature films and documentaries. You know, what - is there something in particular you're hoping people will draw from this film? 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. Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. It is a truly staggering rate of success, one that no other NBA player has come close to approaching. Anstett competed in theMiss Washingtonpageant in 1967, finishing in second place. Russells Celtics ruled the roost at a time when the minuscule number of teams (the NBA consisted of eight or nine franchises for the majority of his career) made for a greatly condensed talent pool, and a combination of integration and improved scouting brought on an unprecedented rush of new stars. The statement draws attention to his achievements and contributions outside the field over the years. He stood for what he believed, stood with who he believed in. 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. Rose Swisher died aged 78 on September 11, 2014. Yeah. He received as much as $100,001 annually, plus an extra $25,000 as a player-coach. He was born on November 2, 1957 and worked for Cox Trucking for several years. Go back to Africa, you baboon. And he lived in Reading, Mass. His talent did not immediately shine through. There, his father initially worked as a truck driver and Bill Russell lost his mother at the age of 12. It would be a disservice an insult, really to look at Russell as only a basketball player, even as one of the greatest ever. While his successful career in basketball is well-known to the world, some are curious to know about his personal life following his passing. Bill Russell turns 88-years-old this February and has lived such an incredible life in the world of sports its almost hard to really wrap the brain around. Due to malnutrition as a child, Russell was a lightweight player but built an exclusive manner of play as a centre to help the defence. He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. Despite going through numerous struggles, he managed to stay strong and make the most out of the opportunity that was given to him. But the Celtics kept winning, and he remained the engine that made them go. Later that year she won Miss USA1968 while studying at Washington. People broke into his house and destroyed his trophies, among many other outrageous deeds. Or expensive cars with souped-up sound systems so he could blare the music of Laura Nyro, Janis Ian, or Crosby, Stills and Nash some of his favorites. In May 30, it was 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. Once again, there was an element of chance involved: Auerbach had never seen Russell play and instead had to rely on the word of a trusted peer. When word of this got back to Bill Russell, he told his teammates something to the affect of "We're going to have to do something about that." Celebrities, athletes and politicians are paying homage to NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who has died at the age of 88, his family announced Sunday. NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996). Bill called out injustice with an unforgiving candor that he intended would disrupt the status quo, and with a powerful example that, though never his humble intention, will forever inspire teamwork, selflessness, and thoughtful change, it reads further. What I ascribed to do, and I did quite well, is every time I came into an adversarial situation, I decided to take control of it so that if a guy came up to me and tried to give me a bad day, I made sure that he was the one who left with the bad day, Russell said. In the long line of dominance the Boston Celtics would exercise over the NBA the most legendary years were in his final years. Be the first one to comment on this story. Over the years, Russells approach became the teams overall philosophy as athletic players who saw defense as a means to key the fast break were introduced into the roster. He married Rose Swisher, his college sweetheart, in 1956. She is reportedly a legal and political analyst who graduated from Georgetown University and Harvard Law School. At 18 he went to college, at San Francisco, where he won two NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. He was married four times and had three children. The autograph-seekers almost always declined. Have something to tell us about this article? And on Sunday, the world lost an absolute legend. In 2011, the United States ex-president, President Barack Obama honoured Bill Russell with thePresidential Medal of Freedomin favour of his sporting achievements as well as in thecivil rights movement. However, Russell was one of the huge earners in the NBA and didnt have to work part-time so as to maintain his standard of living as it was the case with other NBA players at the time. Updated. Dorothy Catherine Anstett was born on June 28, 1947, and was one of nine children of an aircraft plant worker. So how did he deal with it? Bill Russell is survived by three children: Jacob, William Russell Jr, and Karen. He was a In 1969 most of the fabled Celtics had long been gone or had recently retired. We go back to our place and Im crying. Russell anchored a Boston Celtics Bill Russell, the great Boston Celtics center who died last summer at the age of 88, cuts a singular figure in the American sports firmament. Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Affiliate Disclosure: We may earn commissions from purchases made on Amazon via our links. Russel died on July 31, 2022. He was part of the March on Washington. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team, 8 Times Brothers Have Faced Off in a Championship, Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl, Soccer Star Christian Atsu Survived an Earthquake. At the age of 9 he moved to Oakland. I say yes maam. And thats what you must always do. Russell used this mindset while on the court and in She attended theUniversity of Washingtonwhere she majored in English but later found fame as a beauty queen and pageant titleholder. When Auerbach retired after the Celtics won the 196566 NBA title, Russell succeeded him as coach. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. What Russell did was close the circuit, creating turnovers that allowed Boston to get back on offense even faster, as well as patrol the paint with an intensity that single-handedly compensated for the Celtics imbalance. Also at the end of the game Wilt Chamberlain was taken out of the game by unpopular coach Butch van Breda Kolff. . Athletically awkward at first, Russell struggled to find playing time on the team at McClymonds High School in Oakland. While in Oakland he was very poor but became a skillful basketball player. For good measure, he might have had 12, had an ankle injury not sidelined him early in the 1958 NBA finals. In 2010 Russell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the countrys highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama. His family said on social media that Russell died on Sunday, July 31, 2022. As head coach, compiled a 341-290 record (.540) in eight seasons. Currently, Russells estimated net worth is about $10 million. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Bill Russells Mom Changed His Life Forever By Making Him Fight 5 Guys In The Projects To Learn A Lesson. He had then joined the University of San Francisco in 1953 and graduated from there in 1956. In his second season with the Celtics, Russell bought a house in Reading. Bill Russells family announced his demise through a statement on Sunday, July 31. Selected by the St. Louis (now Atlanta) Hawks as a territorial draft choice in 1954. But above all else, Russell was basketballs ultimate winner. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He covers an array of topics including NFL, Pop Culture, Fishing News, and the Outdoors. Born on Feb. 12, 1934, William Felton Russell spent his earliest years in Monroe, Louisiana, before his family moved west during World War II, ultimately landing in Oakland, California. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, the FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur) Hall of Fame in 2007, and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in its inaugural ceremony in 2006. Rather than play for somebody else, Russell took over as a player-coach, steering the team to titles in 1968 and 1969. Is A Hot Dog A Sandwich? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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, He was never embraced by Boston fans in the way his white teammates were. He shared all three kids with his first wife Rose Swisher. Full Article. Bill Russell, byname of William Felton Russell, (born February 12, 1934, Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.), American basketball player who was the first outstanding defensive centre in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one of the sports greatest icons. He won 11 NBA titles in the 13 seasons that he played with NBA Most Valuable Player (1958, 1961-1963, 1965). That story was part of a THREE-HOUR interview with Bill Russell that is preserved in the Library Of Congress. Bill Russell would lead the Boston Celtics to 9 straight NBA titles, many times over vaunted rivals the Philadelphia Warriors, and later the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 1962/63 season, Russell was named the NBA Most Valuable Player and won the honour again the following year after winning the NBA championship again. The two who were previous friends were now very distant. The statement draws attention to his achievements and contributions outside the field over the years. In 2005, Russell recorded bankruptcy after investing an estimated amount of $250,000 to finance a rubber plantation project in Liberia. We went all through the projects looking for those 5 guys. That same year, in the NBA draft, the Boston Celtics orchestrated a deal with the St. Louis Hawks and traded for the draft rights to the young center. Russell was married three times. And these 5 guys ran by. With Russell anchoring the middle of the floor, the Celtics finished with the NBA's best record in 1957, and went on to win the title over the Hawks in a tense seven-game series. So I think he wasn't just - he wasn't as vocal and he didn't have as much exposure as they did. Game Seven in the Finals was one of the most legendary ever played in the history of American sports. So why did you want to do this film and why now? Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Before he won 11 NBA championships and five MVP awards before he won two national championships in The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. On August 11, 2022, the NBA announced the retirement of Russell's No. Russell's 6'9" frame also earned plenty of attention. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Until Michael Jordan he was almost unanimously acclaimed as the greatest player of all time, and some still think he is. His new documentary "Bill Russell: Legend" is streaming now on Netflix. Supervisors explore ways to offset vehicle traffic from new rural housing, Column: Padres offense inspires bright forecasts as Petco Parks worst clouds have lifted, Opinion: Converting Californias empty office buildings to apartments and condos is a great idea. William Felton Russell was born on the 12th February 1934 to Mr Charles Russell and Mrs Kutie Russell. 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. He didn't love Boston. On the road it was not uncommon for him to have to sleep in a different hotel from the one the rest of the club used. William Felton Russell Jr., also known as "Buddha," lost a courageous battle with cancer. He was at the '67 summit in Cleveland with Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali. The family moved from Louisiana to Oakland during World War II due to employment opportunities for the blacks in the west at the time. Off the court, he was a force in the fight for human But I think this documentary will reset the clock on that and understand Bill from the other perspective, besides being a phenomenal basketball legend. He dealt with Boston bussing issues. Meanwhile, Bills first marriage was to Rose Swisher from 1956 to 1973, Dorothy Anstett from 1977 to 1980, and Marilyn Nault from 1996 to 2009. Following the 1969 season, Russell retired from the game. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Publicity Listings In the 1961/62 season, Bill Russell recorded his career highest score by an average of 18.9 points and 23.6 rebounds per game; he also scored 30 points and 40 rebounds in the finals helping the Celtics to defeat a rugged Lakers side. To help solve the child care crisis, new legislation would cap families costs and pay providers more, San Diego police want to power up some Smart Streetlights; add license plate readers as crime-fighting tool, Proposed bills could lead to more people being forced into mental health treatment, Demand for freshmen admission at UC San Diego drops for first time in roughly 20 years, Should backcountry builders fund city sidewalks and bike lanes? Bill Russells first wife was Rose Swisher, whom he married on December 9, 1956. William Jr, Bills first son, was born in 1957 but passed away from cancer in 2016. His new documentary, "Bill Russell: Legend," is streaming now on Netflix. Even against more physically imposing centers, like .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Wilt Chamberlain, Russell was a defensive and rebounding force. Bill Russells daughter, Karen, was born in 1962. Yet, he led the Celtics to the NBA championships in a victory over the Lakers and immediately announced his retirement from basketball as a coach and player. 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 Rose. A San Diego judge had a defendants 13-year-old daughter handcuffed. Inducted into the Sport in Society Hall of Fame, 2000. The couple divorced in 1973. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Doesnt matter whether you won or lost. In 2013, Boston erected a significant statue of their legend, Bill Russell right outside the Boston City Hall Plaza. Please logout and login again. Previous friends were now very distant projects to Learn a Lesson break or the. Have had 12, had an ankle injury not sidelined him early in the history of American sports Rose. As $ 100,001 annually, plus an extra $ 25,000 as a player-coach, steering the team at high! But by his senior year, his family said Sunday NBA most Valuable (. Greatest defensive player of all time, has a special place in the NBAs Hall Fame! 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