The 11-time champion’s career spanned more than 60 years.
Celtics player-coach Bill Russell in 1968. In the background, right to left, Tom “Satch” Sanders, John Havlicek, Don Nelson.
Bill Russell, a basketball legend who made history with the Boston Celtics, has died, his family announced Sunday. He was 88 years old.
Russell’s career spanned more than 60 years, from college basketball to leading the Celtics to 11 championships, to becoming the first black head coach of a North American professional sports team, to his social justice initiatives.
A look back at Russell’s prolific career in photos.
February 23, 1956 – Bill Russell, a member of the University of San Francisco basketball team, scores a basket. Ranked among the top centers, he helped his team win 20 straight games during the 1956 season. (AP Photo/File)Dec. 19, 1956 – Bill Russell signs his contract with the NBA’s Boston Celtics at Boston Garden alongside Celtics owners Walter Brown (left) and Lou Pieri (right). (AP Photo/File)Apr. 24, 1963 – Bill Russell hoists teammate Bob Cousy into a victory hug after the Celtics won their fifth straight NBA championship, beating the Lakers 112-109 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ed Widdis, File)December 12, 1964 – Bill Russell is congratulated by coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach after scoring his 10,000th point in an NBA game against the Baltimore Bullets at Boston Garden. (AP Photo/File)May 6, 1969 – Bill Russell and his wife, Rose, are greeted at Logan Airport by Governor Francis Sargent as they return home after the Boston Celtics won their 11th World Championship title from the Lakers from Los Angeles. The total playoff earnings for the team were $93,000. When asked what he would do with the money, Russell replied, “Money? I will spend it. I still haven’t found a way to send it ahead or take it with me, so I’m going to spend it. (Bill Brett/Globe Staff)Mar. 12, 1972 – In a ceremony held at Boston Garden, the Boston Celtics retire Bill Russell’s number (second from left) after his retirement. Attending the ceremony were, from left, Celtics player John Havlicek, general manager Man Red Auerbach, coach Tom Heinsohn and players Don Chaney and Tom Sanders. (File/Boston Globe)Nov. 14, 1973 – Seattle Supersonics coach Bill Russell and Boston Celtics coach Tom Heinsohn, former Celtics teammates, embrace before their teams face off at Boston Garden. (Associated Press/Wired Photo)Jan. 15, 1988 – Former Boston Celtics teammates Sacramento Kings coach Bill Russell and Boston Celtics coach KC Jones meet before the start of the Kings-Celtics NBA basketball game at Boston Garden. (AP Photo/Mike Kullen, File)May 25, 1999 – Bill Russell and Larry Bird have fun during Legends Night while celebrating the closing of Boston Garden. (Lane Turner/Globe Staff)Feb. 14, 2009 – Bill Russell learns that the NBA Basketball Championships Most Valuable Player Award has been renamed the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)Feb. 25, 2011 – Bill Russell receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, DC Obama said the 14 recipients of the 2011 Presidential Medal of Freedom “reveal the best of who we are and who we aspire to be.(Bloomberg Photo/Andrew Harrer)April 9, 2014 – Bill Russell and Jim Brown answer questions from Dr. Harry Edwards during the Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. The summit marked the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act. (Ricardo B. Brazziell-Pool/Getty Images)December 18, 2017 – Bill Russell shakes hands with Kobe Bryant at halftime after Bryant’s #8 and #24 Lakers jerseys were retired at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)July 31, 2022 – Max Watkins, 7, pays tribute to Celtics legend Bill Russell, who died today. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)
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