It covered every area. In its announcement, the WCC stated: "The 'Russell Rule' requires each member institution to include a member of a traditionally underrepresented community in the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach position in the athletic department. In 1956, Russell married his college sweetheart, Rose Swisher. Together, Russell and Swisher had three children: daughter Karen, and sons William Jr. and Jacob. Their 4834 record was the team's worst since the 195556 NBA season and they entered the 1969 NBA playoffs as the fourth-seeded team in the East. Russell was so quick that he could run over for a quick double team and make it back in time if the opponents tried to find the open man. [104] He is one of four players (along with Cousy, George Mikan, and Bob Pettit) to have made all four NBA anniversary teams: the NBA 25th Anniversary Team (1970), the NBA 35th Anniversary Team (1980), the NBA 50th Anniversary Team (1996),[5] and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021). Russell averaged . Constantly provoked by New York Knicks center Ray Felix during a game, he complained to coach Auerbach, who told him to take matters into his own hands. Unfortunately, though, the duo grew emotionally distant around the time his NBA playing career came to an end in 1970, leading to their divorce three years later in 1973. [107] Russell then reversed himself and ordered his team to double-team West and Boston won Game 3. Bill Russell Wife, Girlfriend. [209] He was livid with Russell and saw him as a backstabber. [14] In 2011, Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his accomplishments on the court and in the civil rights movement. [2] Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League are tied for the record of the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. [101], In the 196768 NBA season, the 34-year-old Russell averaged 12.5 points per game and 18.6 rebounds per game,[1] the latter of which was good enough for the third-highest average in the league. They had three children: daughter Karen Russell and sons William Jr. and Jacob. Russell played 48 games, averaging 14.7 points per game and a league-high 19.6 rebounds per game. 101", "The NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, ranked: Where 76 basketball legends check in on our list", "NBA 75: Top 75 NBA players of all time, from MJ and LeBron to Lenny Wilkens", "President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients", "Bill Russell to receive NBA's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award", "Bill Russell's No. Although the middle child of Bill Sr. and Rose Swisher (born on July 6, 1959), Jacob is arguably the simplest member of the prominent Russell family in almost every sense of the term. [109][220], Russell refused to attend the ceremony when his jersey No. Bill answered, I played for the Celtics, period I did not play for Boston. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. [90][91] It was their sixth consecutive and seventh title in Russell's eight years with the team, a streak unreached in any U.S. professional sports league. The duo shares three children together. . The couple actually kept their relationship well away from the public eye, so we only know they renewed their vows in 2020 before continuing to establish a comfortable life in Seattle, thanks to their social media platforms. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [20] Russell was closer to his mother Katie than to his father,[20] and he received a major emotional blow when she suddenly died when he was 12 years old. He told her to go home and remove the dress, which he described as "white woman's clothing". In the 1960 NBA playoffs, Russell's Celtics met Chamberlain's Warriors in the Eastern Division Finals. She ended up speaking with him for nine hours. Russell later called it the best team of his era and the best defense of all time. When the reporter asked how, Russell responded: "Because the most important factor is respect. [80][81] Russell finished with a clutch performance, scoring 30 points, along with 4 assists,[82] and tying his own NBA Finals record with 40 rebounds in a 110107 overtime win. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Russell's stint with the Kings was considerably shorter, his last assignment ending when the Kings went 1741 to begin the 198788 NBA season. Thus Russell initialized as the first black head coach in NBA history. When Russell was eight years old, his father moved the family out of Louisiana and settled in Oakland, California. [137] Russell attended Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals to present Bryant the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. Karen is the founder of Next Gen: #Blacklivesmatter and is a . Russell limited Chamberlain to only two shot attempts in the second half. The game featured Shane Battier, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Maya Moore, Alonzo Mourning, Joakim Noah, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Obama's friends from high school. [155] In 1970, The Sporting News named Russell the "Athlete of the Decade". Celtics legend and 11-time NBA Champion Bill Russell died 'peacefully' Sunday at the age of 88. And so the guy that owned the Celtics [Walter Brown] was [in addition to Auerbach for whom Russell expressed 'respect' and 'actual love'] another one of the fine, good, and decent human beings that I've ever encountered. "[27] In an autobiographical account, Russell said that while on a California High School All-Stars tour, he became obsessed with studying and memorizing other players' moves, e.g., footwork such as which foot they moved first on which play, as preparation for defending against them, which included practicing in front of a mirror at night. He grew up in a racially segregated neighbourhood where his family was often subjected to rampant acts of racism. His father gave up his trucking job and became a steelworker in order to be closer to his children. Rose and Bill started dating in their college days. As indicated, Bill Russell's children are Jacob Russell, Karen Russell, and William Russell Jr. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a 12-time NBA All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career. [30], Combining the stature and shot-blocking skills of a center with the foot speed of a guard, Russell became the centerpiece of a USF team that soon became a force in college basketball. Bill Russell with his coach, Red Auerbach, in December 1964 after scoring his 10,000th career point in a game in Boston Garden. He was selected into the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996,[5] one of only four players to receive all three honors, and selected into the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He took issue with a few things Brand said, and . Rusell states, It was one bedroom, so my brother and I both had rollaway beds. They had three children: daughter Karen Russell, a television pundit and lawyer, and sons William Jr. and Jacob. In 1977, Bill Russell married his 2nd wife, Dorothy Anstett, who had won the Miss USA beauty pageant in 1968. WIlliam Russell Jr. is the . He led the San Francisco Dons to two consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956,[4] and he captained the gold-medal winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. [209], Chamberlain's knee was injured so badly that he could not play the entire offseason and he ruptured it the next season. Well, that let me know that if I were to accept these as the final judges of my career I would die a bitter old man." [5][96], In the 196566 NBA season, Russell contributed 12.9 points and 22.8 rebounds per game. At the time of his death, Bill was married to his fourth wife, Jeannine. [223] He thanked Chamberlain for taking him to the limit and "making [him] a better player", and the crowd for "allowing [him] to be a part of their lives. William Jr was born on November 2, 1957,. Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in the history of American sports, died Sunday. [67] On November 7, 1959, Russell's Celtics hosted Chamberlain's Warriors and pundits called the matchup between the best offensive and defensive centers "The Big Collision" and "Battle of the Titans". The couple tied the knot in 1956 before parting ways in 1973. [33], The games were often difficult for the USF squad, as Russell and his black teammates became targets of racist jeers, particularly on the road. William Russell Jr. Bill Russell Jr was the first child of the 11-time NBA champ. "[207] Years after Taylor's book, Russell published the autobiographical account Red and Me, which chronicled his lifelong friendship with Auerbach. Be the first one to comment on this story. . [120] In addition, Russell ran into financial trouble. [68] Both men awed onlookers with "nakedly awesome athleticism",[68] and while Chamberlain outscored Russell 30 to 22, the Celtics won 115106, and the match was called a "new beginning of basketball". Unfortunately, everything changed in late 2015 as Bill was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer that had already spread to his liver, especially as it was too advanced to even consider surgery. [184][185] He was a resident of Mercer Island, Washington, for over four decades. In the 1961 NBA playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Syracuse Nationals 41 in the Eastern Division Finals. "[204] Russell was also known for his natural authority. Bill Russell Personal life, Spouse & Trivia. [64], The Celtics won 49 games and made the first berth in the 1958 NBA playoffs, where they met in the 1958 NBA Finals with their familiar rivals, the St. Louis Hawks. I could hear anything, I could see anything, and nothing mattered. The psychology in defense is not blocking a shot or stealing a pass or getting the ball away. and understanding. Karen Russell was born on January 20th, 1962 . In 1966, Bill Russell agreed to be the head coach of the Boston Celtics. "[121] In December 2008, the We Are Boston Leadership Award was presented to Russell. That did not happen My junior year in college, I had what I thought was the one of the best college seasons ever. Bill Russell was a father to two sons named Williams Jr. and Jacob. [49] After the Celtics' 10889 victory, Schayes, who made Johnny Kerr come off the bench because he struggled against Russell in the regular season, quipped: "How much does that guy make a year? [86] The Celtics reached the 1963 NBA Finals,[87] where they again defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, this time in six games. He was born on November 2, 1957 and worked for Cox Trucking for several years. "[49] That playoff series ended in a dramatic Game 7, when the Sixers were trailing 110109 five seconds before the end, but Russell turned over the ball. The 11-time NBA champion is survived by his wife Jeannine and two children. [15], Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, was one of the founding inductees into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. If you were too sheltered, Im afraid youd be too naive. National tragedy struck on April 4, day of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. With eight of the ten starting players on Sixers and Celtics being black, both teams were in deep shock and there were calls to cancel the series. Because Russell ignored virtually any well-wisher who approached him home or away, including the vast majority of media, his autograph was among the most difficult to secure of any professional athlete of his time. Russell's daughter, Karen, is a legal . . 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. equal . Bill Russell and his two sons( Source : gq) The eldest of them all, Jacob Russell was born in 1959, making him only nine years younger than his stepmother, who is currently married and lives in Washington. In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that Russell was "the greatest champion in all of team sports". [106], Russell and the Celtics achieved upsets over the 76ers and the Knicks to earn a meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1969 NBA Finals. "[109] This supported the opinion of many white fans that Russell, who was by then the highest-paid Celtic, was egotistical, paranoid, and hypocritical.