Bill Russell

Bill Russell was an American basketball player and coach born William Felton Russell on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. His family moved to Oakland, California, during his childhood, where he attended McClymonds High School. He played college basketball at the University of San Francisco, leading the Dons to consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. He also captained the United States team to the gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Russell was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1956 NBA draft and traded to the Boston Celtics, where he spent his entire 13-season professional career. He won 11 NBA championships with Boston between 1957 and 1969, the most of any player in league history, including eight straight from 1959 through 1966. He was named the league's Most Valuable Player five times and was selected to 12 All-Star Games.

He served as player-coach of the Celtics from 1966 to 1969, becoming the first Black head coach of a major North American professional sports team, and he won the 1968 and 1969 championships in that dual role. He later coached the Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings.

Russell was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. He was a prominent civil rights advocate, marching in Washington in 1963 and supporting Muhammad Ali at the Cleveland Summit in 1967. President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. The NBA permanently retired his number 6 across the league in 2022, the year of his death on July 31 at age 88.

Their name Bill derives from the Germanic elements wil meaning will or desire and helm meaning helmet, by way of the name William. Bill was one of the most popular American boys' nicknames throughout the twentieth century.