By Chris King • 31 July 2022 • 20:32
UPDATE: Joe Biden CONFIRMS Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed by US drone strike in Afghanistan
An announcement… pic.twitter.com/KMJ7pG4R5Z — TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) July 31, 2022
An announcement… pic.twitter.com/KMJ7pG4R5Z
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) July 31, 2022
During his career playing in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, Bill won an incredible 11 championship titles. He also won two titles while acting in a player-coach capacity. This was a historic achievement in its day, leading to his being recognised as one of the most accomplished NBA players of all time. A gold medal came his way in the Olympic Games as well.
In a 1980 poll of basketball writers, Bill Russell was voted the greatest player in NBA history. When he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame Red Auerbach, his Celtics coach called him “the single most devastating force in the history of the game”.
He was inducted first in 1975 as a player, and then again in 2021 as a coach. Bill’s success in the sport is even more noteworthy considering it came at a time when the integration of black players was just starting, and the NBA was expanding as an organisation. In fact, segregation was still happening in America at that time.
The list of honours collected by Bill during his three-decade career is massive. Before retiring from the game in 1988 had countless NBA First-Team mentions, lifetime achievement awards, and several All-Star appearances. In 2011, Bill was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
Tributes are quite rightly filling social media, for a player who clearly well-loved and respected by everybody throughout the sport of basketball. The Athletic paid tribute:
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Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at [email protected]
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