“Bill Russell was a pioneer—as a player, as a champion, as the NBA’s first Black head coach and as an activist,” said NBA great Michael Jordan in 2022, after Russell died. “He paved the way and set an example for every Black player who came into the league after him, including me. ”
By the time he took over as coach, Russell was already one of the game’s most dominant figures. His speed, court savvy and defensive prowess revolutionized the center position, proving that big men could be agile, strategic and transformative on both ends of the court.
Winning had defined Russell’s career even before he made it to the pros. At the University of San Francisco, he led his team to back-to-back NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. In the latter year, he won a gold medal as captain of the U.S. Olympic team. With the Celtics, he anchored an unprecedented run of eight consecutive NBA titles from 1959 to 1966—the longest championship streak in North American professional sports.
Russell’s appointment marked a turning point in sports history—one that expanded opportunities for Black leadership and left a lasting imprint on the NBA and beyond. Today, the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (an honor Russell, himself, won 5 times) is named after him.
For his work on and off the court Russell was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame and given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor.
