Bill Russell

William Felton Russell famed as Bill Russell is an American retired professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won eleven NBA championships during his thirteen-year career. He is one of seven players in history to win an NCAA Championship, an NBA Championship, and an Olympic gold medal. In Russell’s honor, the NBA renamed the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy in 2009: it is now the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Bill Russell receives Arthur Ashe Courage Award at 2019 ESPY Awards

NBA legend Bill Russell was honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award during the 2019 ESPY Awards. The award recognizes those who reflect the spirit, strength, and courage of tennis great Arthur Ashe, who was a vocal human rights campaigner for over three decades. Past recipients include Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, and NC State coach Jimmy Valvano; who won the inaugural honor in 1993. “I’m humbled to receive the Arthur Ashe Award,” Russell said in a statement. “It is a great honor to be part of a unique group of previous recipients.”

Early Life of Bill Russell

Bill Russell was born on 12th February 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana. His nationality is American and his ethnicity is Mixed. He was the son of Charles and Katie Russell. He grew up in a racially segregated neighborhood where his family was often subjected to rampant acts of racism. He had a difficult childhood and grew up in poverty. He lost his mother when he was just 12 years old. He went to McClymonds High School where he started playing basketball. His coach, George Powles, encouraged the youngster to develop his skills and become a good player. He was offered a scholarship from the University of San Francisco (USF). He was very happy to receive this scholarship as it provided him an opportunity to escape a life of poverty and racism.

Body Measurements of Bill Russell

At the age of 85, Bill Russell still looks very young and handsome. His body build is athletic. He has got a very charming smile on his lips attracting a lot of people towards him. Regarding his height and weight, he has a tall height of 2.08 m and a balanced weight of 100 Kg or 220 lbs. Moreover, his body measurements have not revealed yet but it will be added soon. He maintains his body a lot. Overall, he has got a healthy body.

The career of Bill Russell

• Bill Russell was selected by the Boston Celtics during the 1956 NBA Draft because of his defensive toughness and rebounding prowess.
• He was made the captain of the U.S. national basketball team that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics and also he helped the team to win a gold medal.
• He started playing for the Celtics in the 1956-1957 season in December.
• He played 48 games with an average of 14.7 points per game and 19.6 rebounds per game.
• The Celtics were already a high-scoring team but the addition of Russell added to their strengths.
• He finished with 16 points and 31 rebounds along with 7 blocks in his first NBA playoff game against the Syracuse Nationals in 1957.
• The Celtics managed a 108-89 victory and swept the Nationals in three games.
• The Celtics won 14 straight games at the beginning of the 1957-1958 season.
• He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for that season.
• His amazing performance continued in the 1958-59 season where he averaged 16.7 points per game and 23.0 rebounds per game. The Celtics won 52 games which is a league record.
• The Celtics played against the Philadelphia Warriors in November 1959.
• The game was primarily considered a match between Russell and the Warriors’ center Wilt Chamberlain-both of whom were amazing centers. The Celtics won the match 115-106.
• He averaged 16.9 points and 23.9 rebounds per game in the 1960-61 season leading his team to a 57-22 record.
• The following season the Celtics became the first team to win 60 games in a season and he was again voted as NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
• He scored 15.0 ppg and 24.7 rebounds per game during the 1963-64 season.
• He kept up his excellent performance during the 1964-65 season too when he helped the Celtics win a league-record of 62 games.
• The Celtic coach Red Auerbach retired before the 1966-67 season.
• He was offered the role of becoming a player-coach which he accepted making him the first African American NBA coach.
• He was growing older and tired and by the 1967-1968 season, his figures were slowly declining.
• He still made 12.5 points per game and 18.6 rebounds per game.
• He ended his playing career at the age of 35.
• He had stints as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (1973 to 1977) and Sacramento Kings (1987 to 1988) after his retirement.
• He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Suffolk University on 20th May 2007, where he served as its commencement speaker, and Russell received an honorary degree from Harvard University on June 7, 2007.
• NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award would be renamed the “Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award” in honor of the 11-time NBA champion on 14th February 2009.
• He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Marital Status (Married), Wife, Children

Russell is a married person. He married his college sweetheart Rose Swisher in 1956. They had three children namely daughter Karen Russell, the television pundit and lawyer, and sons William Jr. and Jacob, and later the couple divorced in 1973. After that, he married former Miss USA, Dorothy Anstett, a white woman, in 1977. Their marriage was short-lived as they divorced in 1980. His third marriage was to Marilyn Nault which lasted till her death in 2009. After that, he is assumed to be single.

Net Worth of Bill Russell

Bill Russell is a very famous and well-known basketball player. He was one of the first big earners in NBA basketball during his career.  His 1956 rookie contract was worth $24,000, only fractionally smaller than the $25,000 of top earner Bob Cousy. He built his fortune as one of the greatest Boston Celtics players in NBA history. As of 2019, his net worth is estimated to have $10 Million. But his exact salary has not been revealed yet but it will be added soon. But there is no doubt in the mind of his follower that he is earning a considerable amount of salary from his present work.