Bill Russell a basketball legend
Bill Russell -AKA: William Felton Russell, born February 12, 1934 in Monroe, LA.
During Bill Russell’s 13-year career as an NBA player, he was honored with the prestigious MVP title 5 times in his career. During his team play with the Boston Celtics, he won 11 championships, a winning record unmatched by any player in any sport. In his professional career, Russell averaged just 15 points per game, but he was an outstanding defensive player like no other player before him, proving that offense really is only half the game. As a central player, opposing teams were forced to shoot from the outside, unable to find an easy layup. Russell led the league records for rebounding five times. His height and agility allowed him to jump and block shots intimidating his peers from that era of basketball. Without a doubt, he would hold his career record for blocked shots.
Early in Russell’s career, he joined the starting line-up in his final year at his school, when his team won the league championship. At USF he made the varsity team as a sophomore, and in his junior and senior year, USF won two consecutive NCAA championships. Russell changed the way the game was played: In response to his dominance during the 1955 NCAA tournament, college coaches introduced two key rule changes: The free throw lane where defensive players cannot congregate was widened from ten feet to twelve, and the goal was prohibited. After graduation, he was traded to the Boston Celtics, missing the first month of his rookie season as he fulfilled a childhood dream of playing for the US Olympic basketball team and winning a gold medal. .
After his playing career, Russell worked as a coach and sportscaster. Russell was also an outspoken defender of civil rights. He spoke at the 1963 March on Washington. In 1967, while he was still playing for the Celtics, Russell was promoted to coach, making him the first African-American to coach a major league professional sports team. The next season he became the first African-American coach to win an NBA championship.