Over his 13 seasons in the league, the team played in 12 NBA finals, winning 11 of them. Consultant, Boston Celtics (1999-present). We strive for accuracy and fairness. At the end of the season Wilt Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, taking Chamberlain to the other arch-rival of the Boston Celtics. No matter the game went to seven games when it should have been much shorter. Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. Russell played his entire 18-year, 2,181-game career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the starting shortstop for four National League pennant winners and one World Series championship team. But by his senior year, his game had picked up enough to earn him a starting spot. At the age of 9 he moved to Oakland. In California, life for the Russell family proved rocky. His home was accosted on a few occasions, and he heard he would not get MVP because he was black from a reporter. His paternal grandparents were Wyoming ranchers and his father was known as "Cowboy" to all. Two-time All-Conference, State, District and American. Bill Russell viewed basketball as a science, and played the game with an analytical view as well as with an emotional intensity.Russell played the game psychologically as well, defending his various opponents so well that many times he made those he defended feel like they could not score a basket. [December 2003]. As head coach, compiled a 341-290 record (.540) in eight seasons. That season, he led the Celtics to what would be the first of 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons. His early childhood was shaped by poor health, as the sickly Russell battled several different illnesses. NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team (1980). Still yet Bill Russell was without a doubt one of the finest players of his day. Athletically awkward at first, Russell struggled to find playing time on the team at McClymonds High School in Oakland. He was the son of Katie and Charles Russell. He is a best-selling author and thirty years after he won he remained a recognizable face and a legend. NBA 25th Anniversary All-Time Team (1970). In the fall of 1952, he tried out as a walk-on at the University of San Francisco and earned a scholarship. Russell has been married three times. Russell had a miserable childhood life as he was sickly most of the time. At the age of 10, Russell’s father opted to migrate with … © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. - IMDb Mini Biography By: (K.C. For instance, during this period, racism was rampant in West Monroe, and his family had to fight this. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. He last led the Sacramento Kings as president of basketball operations in the late 1980s. While Charlie found good work, in 1946 his wife, Katie, became quite sick with the flu and died. An explanation van Breda Kolff gave to Chamberlain was "we're doing fine without you." During his early life, Bill Russell struggled in his life as he faced some challenges including health issues. Bill Russell is still going strong at age 85, and he has the tweets to prove it. Russell is the champion of champions, as he owns the most NBA championship rings of any player in … Over the next several decades he periodically came back to the game as a coach or as an executive, but his teams failed to win with the kind of regularity he enjoyed as a player. In the long line of dominance the Boston Celtics would exercise over the NBA the most legendary years were in his final years. Attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, Inducted into the ESPN Boston Hall of Fame in 2011 (inaugural class) with. William Felton Russell was born on February 12th in 1934. Enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, 1975. That makes him 83 years old. Bill Russell is 86 years and 6 month(s) old. Bill Russell: biography. William Russell, Actor: The Great Escape. MVP All-Star Game (1963) after 19 points and 24 rebounds. His talent did not immediately shine through. He was nominated for an Oscar for his seriocomic role in 'Lost in Translation.'. Bill Russell was born in Monroe, Louisiana in 1934. Jones did not play for the Celtics until 1958 because of military service.) Russell capped his amateur career by leading the U.S. men’s basketball team to the gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. In the wake of her passing he committed himself to his studies. This intensity not only paid off in the Olympics, and in college, but it would have an immediate impact in the NBA. When Bill was only 12 years old his mother died and was really shocked. Holds the NBA single-game record for most rebounds in a half (32) vs. Philadelphia on Nov. 16, 1957. He was notorious for refusing to give autographs to fans. In 1956 Bill Russell entered the NBA draft. Billy the Kid was a late 19th-century thief and gunfighter. moviemuskie@yahoo.com, Other Works It wasn’t long before the defensively adept Russell proved to be dominating presence, with a scorer’s touch and uncanny ability to rebound. He was born in 12 Feb, 1934. Joined the Celtics in mid-season in 1956-1957 after a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters. In 2010 Russell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama. Bill Russell was one the greatest basketball player the world has ever seen He is retired now and lives a quiet life. His family moved cross-country to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Bill attended McClymonds High School in Oakland. William Felton Russell, better known to the world as Bill Russell, was born in 1934, in Louisiana. After Red Auerbach retired as Celtics' coach in 1966, Russell became player-coach, thereby becoming the first ever African-American to direct a team in a professional sports league. At the age of 9 he moved to Oakland. Bill O'Reilly hosted the popular cable news program 'The O'Reilly Factor,' which began airing on Fox News in 2001. Even as he won on the court, Russell, an outspoken backer of the Civil Rights Movement, experienced his struggles off of it. He was reportedly killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett, who later burnished the legend of the Wild West outlaw. His draft rights were traded by the Hawks to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Top 30 athlete hosts on Saturday night live. Flavor Flav is an American hip-hop artist known for his work with Public Enemy and for his appearances on multiple reality television series. He was never embraced by Boston fans in the way his white teammates were. William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. The two who were previous friends were now very distant. Rather than play for somebody else, Russell took over as a player-coach, steering the team to titles in 1968 and 1969. Celtics's all-time leading rebounder (21,620, 22.5 rpg) in 963 games; second best in history. Member, gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team (1956). Click here to read the full biography about Bill Russell The Celtics then lost to Los Angeles in the Forum in Game 5, and the Celtics returned to the Boston Garden in game 6 and won that contest. Bill was drafted in the NBA in 1956. This item: Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies) by Murry R. Nelson Hardcover $35.00 Only 8 left in stock - order soon. Bill Russell: Age: 86 Years: Nick Name: Bill: Birth Name: William Felton Russell: Birth Date: 1934-02-12: Gender: Male: Profession: Basketball Player: Birth Nation: USA: Nationality: American: Place Of Birth: Monroe, Louisiana: Father: Charles Russell: Mother: Katie Russell: High School: McClymonds High School: University: University of San Francisco (USF) Height: 2.08 m: Weight: 100 Kg: Marital Status Following the 1966 season, in which Russell led the Celtics to an eighth consecutive title, Auerbach retired from coaching. Macauley was part of a solid offensive unit with Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman, but the team had a missing piece to the puzzle.As America would soon find out Bill Russell would be that missing piece. The term Dynasty might have never applied to Basketball had it not been for Bill Russell. Kaiser Wilhelm served as emperor of Germany from 1888 until the end of World War I. Buffalo Bill Cody earned his nickname by hunting and killing over 4,000 buffalo, and his status as an Old West legend was cemented with his traveling Wild West show. Russell would lead these teams over some other among the greatest of all time, including Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Hal Greer, and his most famous rival Wilt Chamberlain.While Russell was rewriting Boston sports history he faced immense racism from the most devout Celtics fan. Until Michael Jordan he was almost unanimously acclaimed as the greatest player of all time, and some still think he is. Also at the end of the game Wilt Chamberlain was taken out of the game by unpopular coach Butch van Breda Kolff. Due to Russell's Olympic commitment, he could not join the Celtics for the 1956–57 season until December. NBA Sacramento Kings, player/head coach (1987-1988). Bill Russell was born in Deadwood and raised in Spearfish in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Russell knew that he had won, but he wanted to win over Chamberlain, and did not. Bill Russell celebrated 85th birthday by crowd-sourcing his cake on Twitter originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com. NBA Boston Celtics, player/head coach (1966-1969). Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read Bill Russell: A Biography. His parents were Charles Russell and Kutie Russell. Bill Russell biography/ wiki/ biodata/ profile/ information/ Details/ Updates/ Latest News/ Personal life /History/ Interview about Bill Russell William Felton Russell is Bill Russell born and real name. Russell was truly nothing short of a champion.Since his historic victory Bill Russell has been active in broadcasting for NBA games, and occasionally coaching, including the Seattle Supersonics in the 1970s and the Sacramento Kings in the 1980s. He was not ready for the coaching job, and did an all around bad job, sadly enough. There are champions, and then there is Bill Russell. Selected by the St. Louis (now Atlanta) Hawks as a territorial draft choice in 1954. Bill Russell - Career stats, game logs, biographical info, awards, and achievements for the NBA and NCAA. When Russell was 10, his father, Charlie, fed up with trying to navigate a racially charged South, moved his family across the country to Oakland, California, where he found work at a shipyard. Age, Height, Weight & Body Measurement. Bill Russell was born to Charles Russell and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. He had an older brother, Charlie Louis Russell, who was a writer. He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. With Russell anchoring the middle of the floor, the Celtics finished with the NBA's best record in 1957, and went on to win the title over the Hawks in a tense seven-game series. At 18 he went to college, at San Francisco, where he won two NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. His Daughter Karen Is a Television Pundit and Lawyer. |  Bill’s childhood was not perfect as his parents experienced racism very often and later they had to live in poverty. Due to racial persecution, the family soon had to move to Auckland, California. Russell, though, stands out as one of the pioneers. Russell Brought an aspect to basketball that had rarely been explored before: defense. Led the Celtics to NBA titles in 1967-1968 and 1968-1969. Bill Russell is an American former basketball coach and former professional basketball player who is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest American sportspersons of all time. Founder and lead singer of Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose is a celebrated but controversial figure in the world of rock. Bill Russell is an NBA legend. As a black American, he endured discrimination and financial difficulties. Whilst Bill celebrates his 85th birthday in February this year, Jeannine is in her early fifties. Quick Facts: Bill Russell. William Russell was born February 12, 1934. Read up on Bill Russell's biography, career, awards and more on ESPN. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! He would not let his defeat in 1967 keep him down. The Celtics who were supposedly way past their prime were led by Bill Russell to their eleventh championship, they were only the third team to repeat a championship, the first were the Minneapolis Lakers, and the second were the Boston Celtics. He would return and defeat the Sixers in 1968, in a hotly contested Conference Final series, and easily defeat the Lakers in the Finals. Basketball icon Larry Bird won three MVP awards and three NBA championships during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics. Without Chamberlain and an injured Jerry West, it was not enough to defeat the Celtics, who won by only two points.Russell later said Chamberlain was week, and should have demanded to go back into the game. Though, he … The Russell family faced racism in their day-to-day lives. Bill Russell in the US We found 327 people named Bill Russell in California, Texas, Tennessee and 41 other states. NBA Seattle Supersonics, player/head coach (1973-1977). But without Bill Russell there is no doubt the Boston Celtics would not be the legendary professional sports team they have become in their legendary run of championships. NBA Most Valuable Player (1958, 1961-1963, 1965). West Monroe, Louisiana, US: Nicknames: Bill: Zodiac sign: … |  His legacy is built on a foundation of winning 11 championships in 13 playing seasons, making him the greatest winner in … Racial discrimination was prevalent in southern towns like West Monroe, where Russell was born. First Laker's owner Jack Kent Cooke had filled the rafters with purple and yellow balloons balloons and intended to drop them after the Lakers won. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Declared Greatest Player in the History of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America (1980). He was fired from the network in 2017 after reports surfaced of his settlements for sexual harassment allegations. Considered one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. At 18 he went to college, at San Francisco, where he won two NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. At the 2019 ESPYS Awards, the Arthur Ashe Courage Award will be presented to 85-year-old NBA legend Bill Russell, who will bring his younger wife Jeannine to the awards ceremony. Game Seven in the Finals was one of the most legendary ever played in the history of American sports. At that time, his mother Katie and father Charles lived in the provincial town of West Monroe, located in Louisiana. Friends with K.C. Although Bill Russell played less than 50 games, due to the fact he has won a gold medal for basketball in the Olympics, in his first NBA season he definitely made his presence felt. Being born on 12 February 1934, Bill Russell is 86 years old as of today’s date 2nd January 2021. Actor Bill Murray is a comedy icon best known for his popular 'Saturday Night Live' characters and movie classics such as 'Meatballs,' 'Caddyshack' and 'Ghostbusters.' "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. When word of this got back to Bill Russell, he told his teammates something to the affect of "We're going to have to do something about that." He is 2.08 m tall and weighs 98 kg. Despite winning 11 championships in 13 seasons with the Celtics, Russell greatly disliked playing in Boston and was often the target of racism. Publicity Listings Bill Russell was born in Deadwood and raised in Spearfish in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Over the course of his 13-year NBA career, Russell steered the club to 11 titles. Children: William Jr., Karen Kenyatta, and Jacob. For the first time in the Bill Russell- Wilt Chamberlain rivalry Chamberlain could not say he did not have the team to beat the Celtics, although many contend that the Celtics were evenly match if not inferior in talent to their many rivals. And, as revealed by fellow NBA champ; Bob Cousy in an interview, Bill married at aged 84 to Jeannine when she was 49. This year, alongside Gail Goodrich and Happy Hairston, and a very deep bench, which included future Laker's Coach Pat Riley the Lakers looked to beat the Celtics for the first time in the Finals. Holds NBA Finals single-game record for most free throws attempted in one half (15, April 11, 1961) vs. St. Louis; most rebounds (40, March 29, 1960 vs. St. Louis and April 18, 1962 vs. Los Angeles); most rebounds by a rookie (32, April 13, 1967 vs. St. Louis); and most rebounds in a quarter (19, April 18, 1962 vs. Los Angeles). https://www.biography.com/athlete/bill-russell. He most likely would have led the league in blocked shots many times, but the NBA had not yet started keeping track of the statistic. He was drafted second overall, by the St. Louis Hawks, but was traded to the Boston Celtics for Ed Macauley, in a deal spearheaded by Red Auerbach, the coach of the Boston Celtics. Russell's 6'9" frame also earned plenty of attention. 207 cm / 6 ft 10 in: Born: 12 February 1934 : How old is Bill Russell in 2020? William Russell was born William Russell Enoch on 19 November 1924, in Sunderland, County Durham, England, to Eva Compston (Pile) and Alfred James Enoch. 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