Bill Russell Death
William passed away on July 31, 2022 at the age of 88 in Mercer Island, Washington, USA.
When did Bill Russell die?
July 31, 2022How old was Bill Russell when died?
88Where did Bill Russell die? What was the location of death?
Mercer Island, Washington, USA
Bill Russell Birthday and Date of Death
Bill Russell was born on February 12, 1934 and died on July 31, 2022. William was 88 years old at the time of death.
Birthday: February 12, 1934
Date of Death: July 31, 2022
Age at Death: 88
Bill Russell - Biography
William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12, 1934) is an American retired professional basketball player. Russell played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a twelve-time All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty, winning eleven NBA championships during his thirteen-year career. Along with Henri Richard of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, Russell holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. Before his professional career, Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA championships (1955, 1956). He also won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics as captain of the U.S. national basketball team.
In 1966, The New York Times wrote "Russell's main characteristics are pride, intelligence, an active and appreciative sense of humor, a preoccupation with dignity, a capacity for consideration once his friendship or sympathy has been aroused, and an unwillingness to compromise whatever truths he has accepted." Russell himself in 2009 wrote his paternal grandfather's motto, passed down to his father and then to him is: "A man has to draw a line inside himself that he won't allow any man to cross"; Russell was "proud of my Grandfather's heroic dignity against forces more powerful than him... he would not allow himself to be oppressed or intimidated by anyone"; he wrote these words after recounting how that grandfather stood up to the Ku Klux Klan and whites who attempted to thwart his efforts to build a schoolhouse for black children (Jake Russell was the first person in Bill Russell's patrilineal line born free in North America, and was himself illiterate. Thus Bill Russell's motto became "If you disrespect that line, you disrespect me."
After retiring as a player, Russell had stints as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (1973 to 1977) and Sacramento Kings (1987 to 1988). His time as a non-player coach was lackluster; although he led the struggling SuperSonics into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, Russell's defensive, team-oriented Celtics mindset did not mesh well with the team, and he left in 1977 with a 162–166 record. Russell's stint with the Kings was considerably shorter, his last assignment ending when the Kings went 17–41 to begin the 1987–88 season.
Russell was married to his college sweetheart Rose Swisher from 1956 to 1973. They had three children, namely daughter Karen Russell, the television pundit and lawyer, and sons William Jr. and Jacob. However, the couple grew emotionally distant and divorced. In 1977, he married Dorothy Anstett, Miss USA of 1968, but they divorced in 1980. The relationship was shrouded in controversy because Anstett was white. In 1996, Russell married his third wife, Marilyn Nault; their marriage lasted until her death in January 2009. As of July 2019, Russell is married to Jeannine Russell. He has been a resident of Mercer Island, Washington for over four decades. His older brother was the noted playwright Charlie L. Russell.
