{"id":31483,"date":"2022-07-31T20:06:46","date_gmt":"2022-07-31T20:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bill-russell-nba-legend-dies-at-88\/"},"modified":"2022-07-31T20:06:46","modified_gmt":"2022-07-31T20:06:46","slug":"bill-russell-nba-legend-dies-at-88","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bill-russell-nba-legend-dies-at-88\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Russell: NBA legend dies at 88"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;It is with a very heavy heart we would like to pass along to all of Bill&#8217;s friends, fans, &#038; followers,&#8221; the statement reads.  &#8220;Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. Arrangements for his memorial service will be announced soon.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Bill&#8217;s two state championships in high school offered a glimmer of the incomparable run of pure team accomplishment to come: twice an NCAA champion; captain of a gold-medal-winning US Olympic team; 11 times an NBA champion; and at the helm for two NBA championships as the first black head coach of any North American professional sports team.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Along the way, Bill earned a string of individual awards that stands unprecedented as it went unmentioned by him. In 2009, the award for the NBA Finals most valuable player was renamed after two- time Hall of Famer as the &#8216;Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Bill&#8217;s wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you for keeping Bill in your prayers. Perhaps you&#8217;ll relive one or two of the golden moments he gave us, or recall his trademark laugh as he delighted in explaining the real story behind how those moments unfolded. And we hope each of us can find a new way to act or speak up with Bill&#8217;s uncompromising, dignified and always constructive commitment to principle. That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6. &#8220;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Russell won 11 championships with the Celtics, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966. He was a five-time NBA MVP and a 12-time All-Star.<\/p>\n<p>As a coach for the Celtics, he led Boston to two titles, becoming the first Black head coach to win an NBA championship.<\/p>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\" data-paragraph-id=\"paragraph_C12788CD-D97A-59FB-6D59-55AFD65CD789\">The Celtics issued a statement lauding Russell and his contribution to both the team and the sport as a whole.<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionize the way the game is played, and to be a social leader all at once seems unthinkable, but that is who Bill Russell was,&#8221; the statement read.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Bill Russell&#8217;s DNA is woven through every element of the Celtics organization, from the relentless pursuit of excellence, to the celebration of team rewards over individual glory, to a commitment to social justice and civil rights off the court. Our thoughts are with his family as we mourn his passing and celebrate his enormous legacy in basketball, Boston, and beyond.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"el__embedded el__embedded--fullwidth\">\n<div class=\"el__image--fullwidth js__image--fullwidth\">\n<div><noscript><img alt=\"Russell being congratulated by legendary Celtics coach Arnold &quot;Red&quot;  Auerbach after scoring his 10,000th career point in a game against the Baltimore Bullets in Boston Garden on December 12, 1964.\" class=\"media__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/220731141900-04-bill-russell-obit-large-169.jpg?ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fellow NBA legend Michael Jordan &#8212; widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time &#8212; said, &#8220;Bill Russell was a pioneer &#8212; as a player, as a champion, as the NBA&#8217;s first Black head coach and as an activist. He paved the way and set an example for every Black player who came into the league after him, including me. The world has lost a legend. My condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\" data-paragraph-id=\"paragraph_BFDD102E-1018-D59A-B1FE-55B2913B4D7F\">Former US President Barack Obama <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BarackObama\/status\/1553817774300053509\" target=\"_blank\">took to social media<\/a> to praise Russell&#8217;s contribution to basketball and society: &#8220;Today, we lost a giant. As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher &#8212; both as a player and as a person. Perhaps more than anyone else, Bill knew what it On the court, he was the greatest champion in basketball history. Off of it, he was a civil rights trailblazer &#8212; marching with Dr. King and standing with Muhammad Ali.<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;For decades, Bill enduring insults and vandalism, but never let it stop him from speaking up for what&#8217;s right. I learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life. Michelle and I send our love to Bill&#8217;s family, and everyone who admired him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\" data-paragraph-id=\"paragraph_827A4F1E-A620-00CC-3B8B-5564871E1653\">NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA\/status\/1553797013426298882\" target=\"_blank\">shared his condolences<\/a>.<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports,&#8221; Silver said in a statement.  &#8220;The countless accolades that he earned for his storied career with the Boston Celtics &#8212; including a record 11 championships and five MVP awards &#8212; only begin to tell the story of Bill&#8217;s immense impact on our league and broader society.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values \u200b\u200bof equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps. Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>CNN&#8217;s Homero de la Fuente contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;It is with a very heavy heart we would like to pass along to all of Bill&#8217;s friends, fans, &#038; followers,&#8221; the statement reads. &#8220;Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. Arrangements for his memorial service will be &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bill-russell-nba-legend-dies-at-88\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Bill Russell: NBA legend dies at 88<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[13564,850],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31568,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bill-russell-11-time-nba-champion-and-boston-celtics-legend-dies-at-88\/","url_meta":{"origin":31483,"position":0},"title":"Bill Russell, 11-time NBA champion and Boston Celtics legend, dies at 88","date":"July 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion as a player and coach with the Boston Celtics and one of the most important figures in NBA history, has died at the age of 88, his family announced Sunday. Russell passed away peacefully with his wife Jeannine by his side. His family released\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31613,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bill-russell-boston-celtics-legend-and-11-time-nba-champion-dies-at-88\/","url_meta":{"origin":31483,"position":1},"title":"Bill Russell, Boston Celtics legend and 11-time NBA champion, dies at 88","date":"July 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Bill Russell, an NBA legend who led the Boston Celtics to a record 11 championships and is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, died on Sunday. He was 88.Russell's family announced his death in a statement, saying he died peacefully with his wife Jeannine by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31401,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/boston-celtics-great-bill-russell-11-time-nba-champion-dies-at-88\/","url_meta":{"origin":31483,"position":2},"title":"Boston Celtics great Bill Russell, 11-time NBA champion, dies at 88","date":"July 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Bill Russell, the cornerstone of the Boston Celtics' dynasty that won eight straight titles and 11 overall during his career, died Sunday. The Hall of Famer was 88.Russell died \"peacefully\" with his wife, Jeannine, at his side, a statement posted on social media read. Arrangements for his memorial service will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32444,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bill-russells-trailblazing-legacy-is-secure-even-if-stats-cant-measure-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":31483,"position":3},"title":"Bill Russell&#8217;s Trailblazing Legacy Is Secure (Even If Stats Can&#8217;t Measure It)","date":"August 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAN DAO \/ GETTY IMAGES Properly measuring the greatness of Bill Russell, the legendary Boston Celtics center who died Sunday at the age of 88, has always been a challenge in our modern, metrics-obsessed era of NBA analysis. Russell's titles \u2014 11 as a player, two of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32754,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/boston-celtics-legend-bill-russell-deserves-our-reverence-understanding-and-respect\/","url_meta":{"origin":31483,"position":4},"title":"Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell deserves our reverence, understanding and respect","date":"August 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"We live in a debate culture, inherently reductive to this or that, to who was best, most, least, greatest. Television, social media or online, ours is a culture of decibels, where people do not often learn as an element of their entertainment. Ears aren't for listening. They are for glasses.Within\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32254,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bill-russell-dies-at-88-kareem-abdul-jabbar-michael-jordan-more-react-to-death-of-boston-celtics-icon\/","url_meta":{"origin":31483,"position":5},"title":"Bill Russell dies at 88: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, more react to death of Boston Celtics icon","date":"August 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Getty Images Bill Russell, one of the most important and accomplished athletes in history, died on Sunday at the age of 88 with his wife Jeannine by his side, his family announced. Russell won an NBA record 11 NBA championships, including eight straight, over a 13-year career with the Boston\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"kaj-russellgetty.png","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportshub.cbsistatic.com\/i\/r\/2022\/08\/01\/036184b5-b9bb-4b5d-8aa3-66992a3c792f\/thumbnail\/770x433\/00237e60f5565694182ff6cdcfa10df3\/kaj-russellgetty.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/220731133015-01-bill-russell-obit-super-tease.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31483"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31483\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}