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“You can do anything you want to do if you want it bad enough.”

“Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.”

My name is Bill Russell. At the University of San Francisco, I led the San Francisco Dons to back to back NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. I was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and captained the gold medal-winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. I was chosen by the St. Louis Hawks with the second overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft.

After being chosen by the St. Louis Hawks with the second overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft, I was traded to the Boston Celtics for Celtics center Ed Macauley and small forward Cliff Hagan. With me as their starting center and defensive anchor, the Celtics went on to win their first NBA championship in 1957 and won an NBA record eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a 12-time NBA All-Star, my rebounding, defense, and leadership made me one of the dominant players of my era. I also led the NBA in rebounds four times, had a dozen consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds, and remains second all-time in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. I played in the wake of black pioneers Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Sweetwater Clifton, and I was the first black player to achieve superstar status in the NBA. During the final three seasons of my career (1966–1969), I served as player-coach of the Celtics, becoming the first black NBA coach and the first black NBA coach to win a championship.

I served as head coach and general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1973 to 1977. I also coached the Sacramento Kings from 1987 to 1988. I worked as a color commentator and authored several books.

I was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, was one of the founding inductees into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. I was selected into the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

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THE ACTIVIST

MEET

My name is Bill Russell. At the University of San Francisco, I led the San Francisco Dons to back to back NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. I was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and captained the gold medal-winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. I was chosen by the St. Louis Hawks with the second overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft. After being chosen by the St. Louis Hawks with the second overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft, I was traded to the Boston Celtics for Celtics center Ed Macauley and small forward Cliff Hagan. With me as their starting center and defensive anchor, the Celtics went on to win their first NBA championship in 1957 and won an NBA record eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a 12-time NBA All-Star, my rebounding, defense, and leadership made me one of the dominant players of my era. I also led the NBA in rebounds four times, had a dozen consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds, and remains second all-time in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. I played in the wake of black pioneers Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Sweetwater Clifton, and I was the first black player to achieve superstar status in the NBA. During the final three seasons of my career (1966–1969), I served as player-coach of the Celtics, becoming the first black NBA coach and the first black NBA coach to win a championship. I served as head coach and general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1973 to 1977. I also coached the Sacramento Kings from 1987 to 1988. I worked as a color commentator and authored several books. I was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, was one of the founding inductees into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. I was selected into the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.