Bill Russell, the intimidating center who denied layups and fans with equal authority as he led the Boston Celtics to basketball’s greatest dynasty, died Sunday. your family said. He was 88 years old.
Russell won five MVP awards and the Celtics won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966. His great rival in the 1960s, Wilt Chamberlain, ended the streak by leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a league title.
2.80m Chamberlain and 1.80m Russell have met 142 times in an epic rivalry that has thrilled basketball fans for a decade. His Celtics went 57-37 against Chamberlain’s teams in the regular season and had a 29-20 playoff lead.
“Wilt and Russell were to basketball what Arnold Palmer was to golf,” 76ers Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham once said. “I turned on the television on Sunday and they were there. They are two of the greatest talents to have ever played the game. “
Establishing himself as the leading scorer in basketball, Russell was a strong advocate for civil rights. At the 2019 ESPYs, he received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, given annually to those who “stand up for their beliefs, no matter the cost”.
Russell’s experiences growing up poor in Oakland, California shaped his intolerance of racism. Even as an established NBA star, he still struggled with bigotry on a daily basis. When the Celtics were on the road, their black players were routinely denied the same room and restaurant meals offered to the rest of the team.
After leading the Celtics to their inaugural championship in 1956-57, Russell moved with his family to Reading, Massachusetts, 16 miles north of Boston. A few years later, vandals broke into his house, destroyed his bowls and defecated on his bed.
When Russell’s number 6 was retired by the Celtics ahead of a home game against the New York Knicks in 1972, he insisted on hosting a brief private ceremony an hour before fans entered the building. In his memoirs from 1979, the second windHe called Boston the “flea market of racism”.
“Billy is a proud man who is offended by a racist society and will not give up,” former Celtics teammate Bob Cousy once said. “So it’s clear that Russ has always had a very strong chip in his shoulder, and he’s shown that to the outside world at every opportunity. Public image of him was wearing white on his nose.
Thoughtful Russell participated in the 1963 March on Washington and invested in buying rubber plantations in Liberia to create jobs in African countries. And in 1967, he attended a press conference with Jim Brown, Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and other athletes to support Muhammad Ali’s rejection of the draft.
“Bill Russell didn’t wait until he was safe to stand up for what was right,” said the late Georgetown coach John Thompson, another Celtics teammate. “He stood up for what was right when he had something to lose.”
Despite his fame, Russell refused to sign autographs and often appeared indifferent to Boston fans. Instead of public praise, he focused on defence, rebounds (he’s already had 51 in a game) and winning championships under legendary coach Red Auerbach.
After Auerbach’s retirement in 1966, Russell became the first black coach in American professional sports. As a player-coach, he led Boston to back-to-back NBA titles in 1968 and 1969 before announcing his retirement.
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
In Russell’s farewell as a player, the Celtics beat Chamberlain’s Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on May 4, 1969. The final minutes of that game sparked a long-running feud between Russell and Chamberlain.
The two were fierce fighters who had a mutual respect over the years until Russell questioned Chamberlain in the later stages of Game 7 about retiring from the game with a knee injury.
They did not speak for 20 years before Russell personally apologized to Chamberlain. When Chamberlain died in October 1999, aged 63, a grieving Russell spoke at the service.
“Wilt and I weren’t rivals,” he said. “We were competitors. In rivalry there is a winner and a loser. He was never defeated.”
While Chamberlain set the scoring record, Russell was content to maximize his teammates’ abilities. “It wasn’t about Wilt and Russell Beale,” said former Celtics star John Havlicek. “I would have let Wilt score 50 if we had won. The most important thing for him was the championship.”
When told that Chamberlain had just signed a $100,000 contract, a proud Russell immediately went to Auerbach’s office and demanded another dollar.
William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. His late older brother Charlie L. Russell was a playwright whose most famous work, at five black hand sideIt was released in 1969 and was made into a movie in 1973, starring Godfrey Cambridge.
Russell’s mother Kate died when he was 12, and he struggled from an early age on the basketball court and failed to make the high school team. He was nearly cut from the Oakland McClymonds High School team, but he persevered and steadily developed his skills as a shot blocker.
After high school, Russell received only one letter of interest from the University of San Francisco. However, playing alongside future Celtics teammate KC Jones, he would lead the Dons to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956, averaging 20.7 points and 20.3 rebounds per game over his three seasons.
He also competed in college track and field before the wily Auerbach arranged a draft trade with the St. Louis Hawks to bring Russell to Boston.
Prior to his rookie season in the NBA, Russell served as captain of the US Olympic men’s basketball team in 1956, which won the gold medal at the Melbourne Games. Leading the Celtics to the 1957 title, he won championships at the professional, Olympic and NCAA levels, all in a span of 13 months.
He ended his career as the #2 rebounder in NBA history behind Chamberlain, excelling on Boston’s defensive side and delivering devastating counterattacks that destroyed opponents.
Although Russell played alongside future Hall of Greats like Cousin, Havlicek, Sam Jones, KC Jones, Bill Sharman and Tommy Heinsohn, it was his leadership and indomitable will to win that led to the Boston dynasty.
“I always saw it as if we were playing against the best team in the world,” Chamberlain once said. Going to Boston Garden was like going to Roman amphitheaters, where Christians were thrown to the lions. They were very good and he was very good. “
Before big games, Russell regularly vomited in the locker room. After a while, his Celtics teammates asked him to vomit as a sign that he was ready to dominate. Sometimes he wore a black suit and cap in the arena.
“I thought it was Count Dracula, so we started off as Count Russell,” said Sam Jones. “I asked him why he was wearing a black suit and he said, ‘Well, I look like a mortal.’ I come to bury the players I play against. This is Bill Russell… very, very different.”
A longtime resident of Mercer Island, Washington, Russell also coached the Seattle SuperSonics for four seasons beginning in 1973. In 1987, he returned to the NBA bench, signing a seven-year contract to coach the Sacramento Kings. Russell was fired after a 17-41 start and ended his coaching career with a 341-290 record.
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Away from the court, Russell has starred in several television shows, starring in The Ranch on ABC. cowboy in africa In 1967, ABC’s butler It takes a thief NBC professor in 1968 The Bill Cosby Show in 1971 and judge at NBC Miami Vice In 1986, he also appeared with Gary Coleman and Maureen Stapleton in the 1981 film. in the right direction.
Meanwhile, he appeared as himself. Rowan and Martin laugh It was installed in 1971-72 Saturday night live In 1979, he served as an NBA analyst for ABC, CBS, and TNT, displaying his trademark high-pitched laugh.
with additions the second windWrote three more books: 1966 rise to glory2001 Russell’s Rules and 2009 red and me.
Dorothy Anstett, Miss USA 1968, was one of Russell’s four wives. He and his first wife, college sweetheart Rose, had a daughter, Karen, and two sons, William Jr. and Jacob. His fourth wife, Janine, also survives.
The statement on his death concluded: “Bill’s wife Janine and his many friends and family thank you for keeping Billy in your prayers. Perhaps you still remember a golden moment or two he gave us, or remember his characteristic laugh as he happily explained the true story of how those moments played out. We hope each of us has found a new way to act or talk about Bill’s commitment to uncompromising, dignified, and always constructive principles. This will be the last and lasting victory of our beloved #6.”
In 2011, President Obama presented Russell with the Medal of Freedom, saying, “Bill Russell stood up for the rights and dignity of all people. He marched with Martin Luther King and rose with Muhammad Ali. When the restaurant refused to serve the Black Celtics, it canceled a scheduled game.
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, Russell was honored with a bronze statue in front of Boston City Hall in 2013 and received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
His influence on modern players, on and off the field, remains profound.
“What he has done for civil rights in this country is unparalleled,” said Charles Barkley. “He and Ali will always be my heroes when it comes to this. These guys did the heavy lifting all day. “
From the moment he turned pro, Russell never wavered in his love for the Celtics. He respected Auerbach for the dignity with which he treated all Boston players, regardless of skin color.
“The Celtics were a way of life for me, as diverse a group of people as you can imagine,” Russell said. “Let’s work together for a common goal every day. I really liked my teammates. I’ve always said that when I left the Celtics, I can’t go to heaven because it’s going to be a change.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
