Russell, Bill


Russell, Bill

(William Felton Russell), 1934–, American basketball player, b. Monroe, La. Named an All-American while on the Univ. of San Francisco team, he played on the gold-medal-winning U.S. team at the 1956 Olympics. That year he joined the Boston Celtics; in his 13 seasons with the team he won the Most Valuable Player award five times, and was noted for his on-court rivalry with Wilt ChamberlainChamberlain, Wilt
(Wilton Norman Chamberlain), 1936–99, American basketball player, b. Philadelphia. At the Univ. of Kansas he was a two-time All-American center. During 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association, "Wilt the Stilt" (over 7 ft 1 in.
..... Click the link for more information. . After leaving the Celtics in 1969 he was a television sports announcer and the coach (1973–77) of the Seattle SuperSonics.

Bibliography

See his autobiography Second Wind (1979) and his Red and Me (with A. Steinberg, 2009).

Russell, (William Felton) Bill

(1934– ) basketball player; born in Monroe, La. He was a two-time All-American at the University of San Francisco (1955–56) before playing center for the Boston Celtics (1956–69), where he was an eleven-time All-NBA (National Basketball Association) first team selection and a five-time Most Valuable Player. One of basketball's greatest defensive centers, he led the Celtics to eleven NBA championships in 13 years. His 22.5 rebounds per game and 21,620 career rebounds are second best in NBA history. He was the first African-American head coach in the NBA, and in 1968 and 1969 he coached the Celtics to two successive titles. He also served as coach and general manager of the Seattle Supersonics (1973–77). A broadcaster after retiring from the game, he was elected to basketball's Hall of Fame in 1974.