BILLRUSSELL

No jump shot, no signature move — just the most winning résumé any professional athlete has ever produced. Bill Russell was born February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. He died July 31, 2022, in Mercer Island, Washington, at age 88. Height 6 ft 10 in (208 cm).

He led the University of San Francisco to consecutive NCAA championships (1955, 1956) and won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 1956. Drafted 2nd overall by the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 and immediately traded to the Boston Celtics, he spent his entire 13-season career (1956–1969) with Boston, also serving as player-coach for his final three seasons — becoming the first African American head coach in major U.S. professional sports.

Russell won a record 11 NBA championships, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966. He was named NBA MVP five times (1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965) and was a 12-time NBA All-Star. Considered the game's defensive pioneer, he redefined shot-blocking and rebounding as team-defining skills, though blocks were not officially tracked during his career.

Career totals: 14,522 points (15.1 ppg), 21,620 rebounds (22.5 rpg), 4,100 assists (4.3 apg) over 963 games.

His No. 6 was retired by the Celtics and, in 2022, across the entire NBA — the first number retired league-wide. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 and as a coach in 2021. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.