How many rings did Bill Russell win as a player?
William Felton Russell, an American basketball player, spent from 1956 to 1969 as the center for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 2022, he passed away on July 31. Most people thought of him as one of the greatest basketball players to ever live. He also led the San Francisco Dons…
William Felton Russell, an American basketball player, spent from 1956 to 1969 as the center for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
In 2022, he passed away on July 31. Most people thought of him as one of the greatest basketball players to ever live. He also led the San Francisco Dons to two consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956 while serving as the captain of the United States’ gold-medal winning basketball squad in the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Over the course of his 13-year career, he served as the lynchpin of the Celtics dynasty, which captured 11 NBA championships.
Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League share the record for the most titles won by an athlete in a North American sports league. While playing with black pioneers Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Sweetwater Clifton, Russell became the first black player in the NBA to achieve superstar status. As a player-coach for the Celtics for three seasons (1966–1969), he made history by being the first black professional sports coach in North America and the first to win a title.
Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 for his contributions to the court and the civil rights struggle.
How many rings did Bill Russell win as a player?
Red Auerbach, Bill Russell’s coach, referred to him as “the single most devastating force in the history of the game,” and the Hall of Famer helped the Celtics win 11 championships. Russell won 11 titles with the Celtics, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966.
