Two years ago, America lost one of its greatest athletes: Bill Russell was the NBA icon before Michael Jordan – and his social significance was even greater.
He was one of the NBA’s greatest legends – and his legacy will live on long after his death.
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Two years ago today, Bill Russell, one of America’s greatest athletes, died. And the life’s work that the 2.08-meter man left behind extends far beyond sport.
Bill Russell shaped the Boston Celtics myth
Russell shaped the Boston Celtics myth long before Larry Bird, winning eleven championship titles as a center in 13 seasons between 1956 and 1969, more than any other player. Russell also served as coach for the last two titles, replacing the equally legendary Red Auerbach in this role – making Russell the first black head coach in North American professional sport to win championships.
Born on February 12, 1934 in West Monroe, Louisiana, Russell was way ahead of his time and was considered the best and most complete player in league history until the arrival of Michael “Air” Jordan.
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Combined with his role off the court, Russell’s significance and legacy for NBA and sports history is ultimately even greater: Russell, who grew up during the era of racial segregation, was also an icon of the civil rights movement, and not just because of his pioneering work as an African-American player and coach.
Bill Russell revolutionized basketball
Russell was named the league’s most valuable player five times and was an All-Star twelve times. In 1956, Russell won Olympic gold with the USA in Melbourne. The trophy for the NBA Finals MVP bears Russell’s name, and he always presented it personally until the start of the corona pandemic.
Another record: Russell had the most rebounds in the NBA Finals (1,718). In second place is Russell’s great rival Wilt Chamberlain, who died in 1999, with 862. In the all-time rebound statistics, Russell is in second place (21,620) behind the Los Angeles Lakers icon (23,924) – although Russell and Chamberlain played far fewer games than later generations of players.
The rivalry between Bill Russell (r.) and Wilt Chamberlain shaped the NBA
Russell was a revolutionary in the development of basketball as we know it today, especially on defense. He popularized the shot-blocking technique, which his coaches had tried to dissuade him from in his early years as an aberration.
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An icon of the civil rights movement
In 1961, Russell made national headlines with the Celtics when the team boycotted an exhibition game in Kentucky because a local restaurant refused to serve him and his black teammates. In 1963, he organized the first basketball camp in the state of Mississippi that brought together black and white players – amid severe social unrest following the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evars, who later suffered the same fate as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
For decades, Russell stood out as an activist and a powerful voice for equality. His tireless commitment also influenced later sports greats such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James, who tried to live up to the same social demands.
In 2011, Russell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-US President Barack Obama, and when Russell “passed away peacefully” on July 31, 2022, at the age of 88, Obama also emphasized the significance.
Barack Obama verlieh Bill Russell 2011 die Presidential Medal of Freedom
“We have just lost giants,” he wrote. Current President Joe Biden praised Russell as a “great standard-bearer of freedom, equality and justice.”
“Bill Russell was the greatest champion in any team sport,” added NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “He stood for something bigger than sports – the values of equality, respect and inclusion that remain embedded in the DNA of our league to this day.”
Michael Jordan also spoke out, praising Russell as a “pioneer – as a player, as a champion, as the first black head coach and as an activist.” The world has lost a legend.
With SID (Sports Information Service)
