The ultimate basketball victor, Russell was a two-time NCAA champion at San Francisco, an Olympic gold medalist in 1956, and won a record 11 NBA titles in just 13 seasons with the Celtics. He was also a tireless civil rights promoter and the first Black coach, initially as a player-coach with the Celtics and later as head coach of the SuperSonics and Kings.
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- As social justice activist
- As great play maker
- As rookie with great postseason performance
- As #2 overall NBA Draft pick
- Author of the book Red and Me
- Drafted by Hawks and traded to Celtics
- Earning league MVP in a controversial voting (1962, 1963)
- Fight with George Dempsey
- Hosting Saturday Night Live
- Injury in 1958 NBA Finals
- Jersey retired by NBA
- Lack of nickname
- Missing out on Finals MVP in a controversial voting (1969)
- On ’59-’60 Boston Celtics (greatest teams)
- On ’61-’62 Boston Celtics (greatest teams)
- On 1956 U.S. Olympic team
- Ranking of Celtics teammates who won championships with
- Rivalry with Wilt Chamberlain
- Signing his rookie contract
- Winner of an NCAA title, NBA title, and Olympic gold medal
- Would have earned Finals MVP if it existed
Associated topics
boston celtics
bob cousy
nba finals
awards and honors
coaches
john havlicek
wilt chamberlain
rivalries and feuds
red auerbach
black history
boston garden
nba mvp
politics and social justice
FEATURED bill russell articles
Joy of six: 13 notable facts about jersey #6 and the players who have worn it
With the NBA retiring #6 in honor of the late Bill Russell, we take a look at some of the interesting facts, figures, and notes about that jersey and the…
One of these things is not like the other: 13 one-sided NBA rivalries
Can it really be considered a rivalry if one side always gets the best of their opponent? These NBA match-ups, involving both individuals and teams, put that concept to the…
Came along too soon: Nine players who would have earned Finals MVP if it existed before 1969
The Finals MVP award wasn’t handed out until 1969. If it existed earlier, these players would have had to clear out space in their trophy cases for at least one.
Lucky charms: Ranking the 37 players who won a championship as Bill Russell’s Celtics teammate
When you win 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons as Bill Russell did, you don’t just earn a lot of hardware for yourself, you also help fill up the trophy…
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