William Felton Russell was an American professional basketball player who was the center of the Boston Celtics of the NBA between 1956 and 1969. He was instrumental in the creation of the Celtics dynasty, which succeeded in winning eleven championships during Russell’s career. As a result, he has long been regarded as one of the best players in basketball history. His defense, rebounding, and leadership skills earned him recognition as one of the dominant players in the 1960s, while his man-to-man defense and shot-blocking lent themselves to bringing the Celtics to their top position. Between 1973 and 1977, Russell served as the general manager and coach of the Seattle SuperSonics. 

About a decade later, between 1987 and 1988, he coached the Sacramento Kings, penned several books, and worked as a color commentator. Shortly after his death in 2022, the National Basketball Association retired his #6 jersey league-wide, making him the only recipient of this honor in the NBA's entire history. He is also the third person in North American major professional sports leagues to have his jersey number retired, behind professional baseball player Jackie Robinson and Canadian-American professional ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky. 

At one point, he went down with a foot injury in Game 3 (one for which players can request compensation nowadays) and was only able to return for Game 6, which many considered the main reason why Boston lost that particular game.

Early Life 

William Russell was born in West Monroe, Louisiana, on February 12th, 1934. Like many Southern cities and towns in the 30s, West Monroe was segregated, with racism and discrimination being part of the daily lives of black people living in these areas. Russell’s father, Charles Russell, was once threatened with a shotgun at a gas station because he wanted to leave after seeing all the white customers going ahead of him. In another incident, Russell’s mother, Katie, was told by a white police officer to go home and remove her dress because he considered it “white woman’s clothing.” When Russell was eight, his family moved to California as part of the Second Great Migration, during which approximately 5 million African Americans left the South for the Midwest, Northeast, and West. 

A major emotional blow came when he was twelve years old as a result of the premature death of his mother, to whom he was very close. His father gave up his job as a truck driver and became a steelworker to be closer to his children, and Russell later stated that his father was his childhood hero. 

First Steps into the World of Basketball 

William Russell faced difficulties during his beginner years as a basketball player despite being a naturally talented runner and jumper. He didn’t fully comprehend the game and was eventually removed from the Herbert Hoover Junior High School team. He was almost cut again in high school, but coach George Powels recognized his talent and encouraged him to focus on the fundamentals first. One of his high school basketball teammates was Frank Robinson, a future Baseball Hall of Fame member for his career as the Most Valuable Player of the National League and the American League. 

As Russell started becoming familiar with basketball, he created his style of defense, which was considered unusual and was initially corrected. However, in his own words, he “stuck with it, and it paid off.”  He described how, during a California High School All-Stars tour, he started studying and memorizing the moves of other players, including their footwork. College recruiters later ignored him until Hal DeJulio from USF watched him play a high school game and sensed his inherent instinct for the game, particularly in the clutch. 

Some journalists consider the event a major turning point in Russell’s life, as he began to view the sport as an escape from poverty. 

College Career 

Russell started college in 1952, averaging 20 points per game on the freshman team and becoming the center for coach Phil Woolpert, who favored defense and half-court play, aligning with Russell’s stellar defensive aptitudes. Using his speed and quick reflexes, he could double-u forwards, challenge their shots, and guard other players. The USF team soon became recognized across the college basketball world for its skills, and the NCAA rewrote some rules while Russell was in school. The lane was widened for his junior year, and basket interference was forbidden. 

However, his excellent playing skills weren’t enough to protect Russel and his black teammates from racist abuse, especially on the road. For the 1954 All-College Tournament, hotels in the City of Oklahoma refused to admit black players, so the whole team decided to fend for themselves by using a closed college dorm. Russel would later describe this and similar experiences as having hardened him against mistreatment. But on the court, his experiences were more pleasant, as he led the USF to two NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, earning fifty-five consecutive victories and a 26-point, 20-block, and 27-rebound performance in a single game. His performance led to coach John Wooden calling him “the greatest defensive man I’ve ever seen.” 

Professional Career 

Bill Russell is one of the most decorated and successful athletes in American sports history. His awards include eleven NBA championships with the Boston Celtics across thirteen seasons, two of which he won in the capacity of a player-coach, a position he occupied between 1966 and 1969. His impact after joining the Celtics was immediate, with the team winning its first title during its rookie year. In 1964, the team became the first in the NBA to have an all-black lineup. He became the first player to average more than twenty rebounds during his first NBA entire season and is one of the two players to have grabbed more than 50 rebounds in a single game, alongside Wilt Chamberlain. 

As of 2025, he remains the leader for most career rebounds, most rebounds per game, and most minutes per game in Celtics history. Fellow player Bill Bradley designed Russell as the smartest player ever. 

Bill Russell ranks No. 1 in NBA history for his defensive win shares. In February 2011, President Barack Obama awarded him the Medal of Freedom. He went down in history for his intensity, proficiency, basketball IQ, and unshakable will to win.

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