Is Bill Russell still alive?
William Felton Russell, popularly known as Bill Russell, was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was born on February 12, 1934, and he passed away on July 31, 2022. He was the focal point of the…
William Felton Russell, popularly known as Bill Russell, was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was born on February 12, 1934, and he passed away on July 31, 2022. He was the focal point of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships over the course of his 13-year career. He was a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a 12-time NBA All-Star. The record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league is shared by Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League.
Russell was the first black player to reach superstar status in the NBA and played alongside black pioneers Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Sweetwater Clifton. He also worked for the Celtics as a player-coach for three seasons (1966–1969), becoming the league’s first black coach and the first to win a title during that time. Russell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2011 in recognition of his contributions to the civil rights movement and the judiciary.
Russell was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007, one year after being inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as one of its founding members. Russell was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975.
Is Bill Russell Still Alive?
No. American professional basketball player Bill Russell passed away in Mercer Island, Washington, on July 31, 2022.
