Remembering NBA legend and civil rights icon Bill Russell
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Bill Russell, the greatest winner in the history of team sports and one of the most important athletes to ever live, died Sunday at 88.
By the numbers: Russell's basketball legacy is beyond well-known. Yet reviewing his jaw-dropping accomplishments never gets old.
- He won a record 11 NBA titles, all with the Celtics, and was a five-time MVP. He never lost a winner-take-all game in the playoffs and was 10-0 in Game 7s.
- He was an Olympic champion, a two-time NCAA champion, the first Black coach in major American sports, and the only player-coach to win an NBA title.
- He was a defensive savant who revolutionized basketball and seemed to grab virtually every rebound: 22.5 career average. 51 in one game. 49 in two others.
Of note: Russell is just the fifth NBA MVP to pass away (Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant, Wes Unseld) — a reminder of just how young the league is, and of how much weight its legends carry.
The big picture: It would be a disservice to remember Russell as only a basketball player. Off the court, he was a civil rights icon, a humanitarian and a gentle giant with one of the most infectious laughs ever.
- He sat just feet away for Martin Luther King Jr. during his “I Have A Dream” speech. He supported Muhammad Ali when he refused to go to Vietnam.
- He hated autographs, preferring instead to invite fans to have a conversation. That was Bill, according to those who knew him: endlessly curious about human nature and life itself.
What they’re saying:
- Family statement: "[F]or all the winning, Bill's understanding of the struggle is what illuminated his life … Bill called out injustice with an unforgiving candor that … will forever inspire teamwork, selflessness and thoughtful change."
- President Biden: "Bill Russell is one of the greatest athletes in our history — an all-time champion of champions, and a good man and great American who did everything he could to deliver the promise of America for all Americans."
- Ray Ratto, Defector: "He is that rarest of creatures, a man who wrote two autobiographies ('Go Up For Glory' and 'Second Wind') because one could not possibly contain enough of what he did or who he was."
The last word: "If you can take something to levels that very few other people can reach, then what you're doing becomes art," Russell told SI’s Frank Deford in 1999. You painted a masterpiece, Bill.
Go deeper … If you read one thing this morning, make it Deford’s deep dive.
