Bill Russell "[30] The NCAA rewrote rules in response to Russell's dominant play; the lane was widened for his junior year. [19], During World War II, the Second Great Migration began, as large numbers of Black people were moving to the West to look for work there. [59], At that time, Russell received much negative publicity as a player. WebBill Russell as seen in an Instagram Post in July 2019 (Bill Russell / Instagram) Bill Russell Facts. He's the guy who whipped us psychologically. Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. moved his family over to Oakland, California, where he looked for some employment at a shipyard. Bill Russell Suddenly, his grandfather broke down crying. Even as he won on the court, Russell, an outspoken backer of the Civil Rights Movement, experienced his struggles off of it. He's so good, he scares you. Five times he was named the NBAs Most Valuable Player, and his 21,620 rebounds are second only to Chamberlains career mark. After he graduated, the NCAA rules committee instituted a second new rule to counter the play of big men like Russell; basket interference was now prohibited. [126], Russell made few public appearances in the early 1990s, living as a near-recluse on Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle. 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. [132] On June 18, 2007, Russell was inducted as a member of the founding class of the FIBA Hall of Fame. [21], Under head coach Gerald Tucker, Russell helped the U.S. national basketball team win the gold medal in Melbourne, defeating the Soviet Union national basketball team 8955 in the final game with an 80 undefeated run. Russell wore his Presidential Medal of Freedom and the image was captioned: "Proud to take a knee, and to stand tall against social injustice." The family of Bill Russell announced that he passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. Their 4834 record was the team's worst since the 195556 NBA season and they entered the 1969 NBA playoffs as the fourth-seeded team in the East. The game was primarily considered a match between Russell and the Warriors center, Wilt Chamberlain, as both of the playerswere amazing centers. [13], Russell's life was marked by an uphill battle against racism and controversial actions and statements in response to racism. While Charlie found good work, in 1946 his wife, Katie, became quite sick with the flu and died. His team won 49 games and easily made the first berth in the 1958 NBA Playoffs. [137] During halftime of the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Celtics captains Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce presented Russell a surprise birthday cake for his 75th birthday. He grew up in a racially segregated neighbourhood where his family was often subjected to rampant acts of racism. .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;}}10 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Butler, Celebrities & Notables Running the Boston Marathon, 7 Facts About Gymnast and TikTok Star Olivia Dunne, Nat Sweetwater Cliftons First NBA Season, 8 Negro League Legends Featured in a New MLB Game, Get to Know NCAA Tournament Star Caitlin Clark. [44] Like fellow world-class high-jumpers of that era, Russell did not use the Fosbury Flop technique with which all high jump world records after 1978 have been set. ", "Glory at the Basket, William Felton Russell", "The Ring Leader: Bill Russell helped the Celtics rule their sport like no team ever has", "Celtics Name Russell Coach, Making Him First Negro to Lead Major Team", "A Farewell Fiercest Rival: Bill Russell Recalls Wilt As His Friend For Eternity", "Bill Russell: Working with Red Auerbach", "More than 40 years later, Celtics great Bill Russell finally accepts his Hall of Fame ring", "Third Annual 'We Are Boston' Event Honors Outstanding Contributions to Boston's Diversity", "Bill Russell: 'Tell those NFL players, I'm with them', UPI College Basketball Player of the Year Award, Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player, 1955 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, 1956 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award, Wayland Baptist Women's Teams (19481982), NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Russell&oldid=1152374708, African-American male track and field athletes, African-American sports executives and administrators, All-American college men's basketball players, American sports executives and administrators, Basketball players at the 1956 Summer Olympics, Basketball players from Oakland, California, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association broadcasters, National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches, National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award winners, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball, San Francisco Dons men's basketball players, San Francisco Dons men's track and field athletes, Track and field athletes from Oakland, California, United States men's national basketball team players, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 21:24. '"[219] In retirement, Russell described the Boston press as corrupt and racist; in response, Boston sports journalist Larry Claflin claimed that Russell himself was the real racist. After the next provocation, Russell pounded Felix to the point of unconsciousness, paid a modest $25 fine, and rarely was the target of cheap fouls thereafter. And so the Celticsall we looked for was: 'Can he play?' He replied: "Yes." Russell, who was sensitive to any racial prejudice, was enraged by the fact that owner Abe Saperstein would only discuss the matter with Woolpert.
