(Boston) Bill Russell, an NBA legend who guided the Boston Celtics to 11 championships in 13 years — the last two as the first black coach in major American sport — and who struggled alongside Martin Luther King son for human rights, died on Sunday. He was 88 years old.
Posted at 1:41 p.m.
His family shared the news on social media, saying Russell passed away with his wife, Jeannine, at his bedside. The cause of his death was not mentioned in the statement.
A Hall of Famer, five-time Tour Most Valuable Player and 12-time All-Star Game invitee, Russell was voted the greatest player in NBA history in 1980 by basketball columnists. He remains the most successful person in his sport and the model of the egoless player who won on defense and rebounds while letting other players score.
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Wilt Chamberlain attempts a pitch past Bill Russell in an NBA Finals game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics in 1969.
Only Wilt Chamberlain was part of this same category of players at that time.
The battles between the two pivots on the field were fierce, duels never to be missed in the NBA. Russell also guided the University of San Francisco to the NCAA championship in 1955 and 1956, in addition to winning Olympic gold in 1956.
With the Celtics, Russell made his mark as a black athlete in a city — and country — where race was the source of tension. In 2011, President Barack Obama presented Russell with the Medal of Freedom. Two years later, a statue of Russell was unveiled in front of Boston City Hall.