Bill Russell is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all-time.
He invented the blocked shot, chase down block, and many other defensive oriented strategies, so commonly used that they’re often overlooked by today’s NBA.
In 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics (11 as player, 2 as player/coach), Russell won 11 championships, including 8 titles in a row. He’s the first player/coach to win title(s) and the first Head Coach of color in any sport.
In addition to his pro career, Russell won championships/medals as a collegiate (2) and Olympian(1).
During and after his playing career, Russell stood with Muhammed Ali, marched with Martin Luther King, refused to play in the Jim Crow South during segregation. Mr. Russell is widely regarded as a brilliant, intimidating, fair and funny civil rights icon.
Russell, along with Boston Celtics coach/patriarch Red Auerbach, blazed a trail through uncharted waters in sports. The first black starting five. The first black coach, the first black coach to win a title, drafted the first black player (Chuck Cooper). Russell has aged but remains the standard by which all Boston athletes are held measured.
As a man, simply put… he’s a national treasure. Enjoy some of the greatest and rare moments in a life most wouldn’t have been brave enough to live. God Bless the ?G. O. A. T.
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