Bill Russell

Russell, Bill (1934– ), U.S. basketball player and coach. Known for strong rebounding and shot blocking, the 6-ft 10-in (208-cm) center is considered one of the best players of all time. Russell's achievements include winning 6 Most Valuable Player awards—5 regular season (1958, 61–63, 65) and 1 All-Star (1963), and being named an All-Star 11 times. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics (1956–68) and led them to 11 NBA championships (1957, 59–66, 68, 69). Russell became the first major-league head coach of African American descent in U.S. professional sports (1966) as player-coach of the Boston Celtics. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974.