NBA Legend and Boston Celtics Great Bill Russell Dead at 88

Bill Russell One of the best and most successful NBA players of all time has died.
The announcement came from Bill’s own official social media page, which posted a sad update on Sunday. The text says that BR died peacefully with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. The exact circumstances of his death were not discussed further.
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Bill’s message lists his many accomplishments dating back to his high school days. He had won two state championships at that level, two NCAA championships, a gold medal at the Olympics… and of course, 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics – along with two titles with the same organization under his leadership. coach and player at the same time, a historic achievement at the time … on several levels, of course.
His claim concerns the fact that he was a civil rights activist during his playing days, boycotting certain events and making public remarks that spoke out against the racism and discrimination that was prevalent throughout the United States at the time.
Bill is by far one of the GOATs in league history – evidenced by the fact that the current NBA Finals MVP award is named after him…which was introduced in 2009.
He has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice… once as a player in 1975 and again as a coach last year. His career is memorable, especially when he broke into the NBA when it was just being expanded as an organization and integrated with black and white players during the country’s segregation.
His accolades go far beyond the above — Bill has a huge number of NBA awards, including multiple All-Star appearances, NBA First Team mentions, lifetime achievement awards, and more. He retired from the sport in 1988 after playing for 3 decades.
As you can imagine, the tributes are pouring in at the moment. Bill Russell was loved by just about everyone in and around the league…players, coaches, owners and members of the media alike. He came to the games quite often and was very visible in the basketball community.
Arrangements for his memorial and funeral are currently being made by the family. Bill is survived by his wife, three children and other relatives. He was 88.
REST IN PEACE
NBA Legend and Boston Celtics Great Bill Russell Dead at 88 Source link NBA Legend and Boston Celtics Great Bill Russell Dead at 88