Bill Russell, champion, activist, and one of the best basketball players of all time has passed at the age of 88.
The announcement was made on his official Twitter page in which it was stated that he had passed away “peacefully” alongside his wife Jeannine.
An announcement… pic.twitter.com/KMJ7pG4R5Z
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) July 31, 2022
Russell was a champion in every step of the game of basketball. He was an NCAA champion, Olympic gold-medalist, 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, five-time MVP, 12-time All-Star, the first Black head coach of a professional sports team in the United States, and much more. He finished second of all time with 21,620 career rebounds. In 2009, the NBA renamed the NBA MVP trophy after him.
He also was a man who demanded change off the court, and was a big advocate and important voice in support of racial freedom in this country. Russell was on hand at Martin Luther King JR’s “I Have A Dream” speech and also a big supporter of Muhammad Ali, especially after his refusal to be drafted to the military on the heels of the Vietnam war.
We share our voices and prayers to the families at this time.