Remembering Bill Russell’s NBA Legacy as a Boston Celtic

Bill Russell played center for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1969 and won 11 NBA championships over a 13-year career. Russell was a 12-time All-Star, a five-time league MVP, and is considered one of the best players in NBA history, known for his defensive prowess, rebounding, and shot-blocking abilities.

Russell’s Celtics were an incredible dynasty in the 1960s. Playing alongside legendary players like Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Sam Jones, Russell never had to be the focal point of Boston’s offense. Instead, he anchored the defense, protecting the rim. And for the last three seasons of his career, Russell served as a player-coach, the first African-American head coach in the NBA.

Russell had some of his best in-game performances on his birthday. He grabbed 41 rebounds in a win over the Syracuse Nationals in 1958, and 40 rebounds in 1961 in a win over the Philadelphia Warriors (and his most prominent rival, Wilt Chamberlain). Russell and Chamberlain are the only two players to ever top 50 rebounds in a game, and Russell is second all-time in total rebounds and rebounds per game, behind Chamberlain.

• Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame.
• He is one of seven players in history to win an NCAA Championship, an NBA title, and an Olympic Gold Medal.
• In 2009, the NBA renamed the NBA Finals MVP trophy to the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.
• In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his accomplishments as part of the Civil Rights Movement.

Russell passed away on July 31, 2022.

Russell’s Twitter account posted that “the most prolific winner in American sports history [had] passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side.”

The statement continued, “Perhaps you’ll relive one or two of the golden moments [Russell] gave us, or recall his trademark laugh as he delighted in explaining the real story behind how those moments unfolded.”

In keeping with those wishes, SiriusXM is sharing memories of Russell’s storied professional sports career as well as his lifelong social justice efforts.

On SiriusXM NBA Radio, Eddie Johnson remembered, “When I got traded to Seattle, K.C. Jones — obviously [Bill’s] heavenly brother right now — was the coach. And Bill would come to practice all the time. And at times, he would disrupt practice, and it would drive K.C. crazy. But K.C. would never say anything, right? … And then [Bill would] start laughing.”

“As a result of [basketball] being a young sport, unfortunately, we have to watch our legends pass on,” Amin Elhassan shared.

On Mad Dog Sports Radio, Stephen A. Smith said, “Being a Black man in the Civil Rights era and doing the things that he did in terms of his leadership, not just as a player, not just as a coach, but as the face of a franchise in a city as contentious as Boston was during that period of time — you just can’t say enough about the phenomenal figure that he was.”

Former Celtic Brian Scalabrine remembered when he about to sign with Boston, he found himself sitting on a plane next to fellow Seattle resident Bill Russell: “He didn’t know who I was, but once I introduced myself — ‘I’m playing for the Celtics next year,’ ‘Oh, yeah, I know you, I’ve seen you play’ — pretty much, like, think about it. I’m on a red-eye flight with Bill Russell, and he is talking the whole night through.”