11× NBA champion (record). 5× MVP. The first Black head coach in major American pro sports. The NBA Finals MVP trophy is named after him.
Position
Center
Size
6'10" · 215 lb
Born
Feb 12, 1934 · Monroe, Louisiana
Died
Jul 31, 2022
Drafted
1956 · pick 2
963
Games
15.1
Points Per Game
22.5
Rebounds Per Game
4.3
Assists Per Game
11
Championships
Bill Russell is the most-decorated team-sport champion in North American professional history — 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966. He won five MVPs, finished 21-0 in winner-take-all games, and coached himself and the Celtics to the final two of those championships as player-coach, becoming the first Black head coach in any major American pro sport. The NBA Finals MVP trophy was renamed the Bill Russell Award in 2009. Russell died in July 2022; the league retired his #6 jersey across all 30 teams the following month — the first such honor in any of the four major North American sports.
Career
1956-1969
Boston Celtics
Played his entire 13-year career in Boston. Won 11 NBA championships — including 8 in a row from 1959 to 1966 — five MVPs, and went 21-0 in winner-take-all games. Player-coach for the final three seasons (1966-69), winning the 1968 and 1969 titles while also coaching.
Honors & Awards
11× NBA Champion (record)5× NBA MVP (1958, 1961-63, 1965)12× NBA All-Star11× All-NBA selection1969 NBA Finals MVP (named after him in 2009 onward — initially called the Bill Russell Award)Naismith Hall of Fame (1975)NBA 25th, 35th, 50th, 75th Anniversary TeamsPresidential Medal of Freedom (2011)
