#bill russell

One of the most decorated sports legends in American history, he has quite the list of accomplishments; this includes winning 11 NBA championships, a record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American Sports league. He also broke barriers when he became coach of the Boston Celtics, being the first Black coach in major U.S. professional sports (and NBA). Oh yea, and Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Born 1934, Monroe, Louisiana. Ironically though he would eventually become one of basketball’s greatest players, as a child, Russell’s skills as a basketball player did not come naturally. But, through hard work, practice, and encouragement from his coaches, he would earn a scholarship to the University of San Francisco. While dealing with racial discrimination off the court, he found nothing but success on it. Russell led his team to 56 consecutive victories and 2 NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956.

While Russell would be drafted to the Boston Celtics in ‘56 and earn NBA Rookie of the Year, he didn’t join until late December because he was too busy winning the gold for the U.S. Olympics basketball team that year. From 1961-1963, Russell was voted MVP 3 times in a row (over Wilt Chamberlain, his longtime rival). He would become a MVP 5 times and a 12-time All-Star over the course of his career. In 1968, Celtics coach Red Auerbach retired, and offered the job to Russell, who became the first African American head coach in NBA history as a result.

In the late 60s, Russell retired as a player and left the Celtics, which stirred a bit of controversy. Through the 70s and 80s, he took coaching gigs off and on with the Seattle SuperSonics and Sacramento Kings. In 1979, he even got a chance to host Saturday Night Live. In 1996, Russell was named one of the “50 Greatest Players in NBA History”.

Acknowledging his place in Civil Rights history, President Barack Obama awarded Russell with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

–Interesting note, Russell was credited with convincing Shaquille O'neal and Kobe Bryant to end their “beef” in 2006. That’s a thing that happened.

Photo/Source:Wine and Bowties
Source:NBA
Source:Wikipedia