What Was Bill Russell’s Impact? Monday August 1st 2022 William Felton Russell Born February 12, 1934 Better known Bill Russell was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 12-time NBA All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career. Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League are tied for the record of the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. Russell is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He led the San Francisco Dons to two consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, and he captained the gold-medal winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Russell also was : 2nd overall pick in the 1956 draft * NBA All-Star Game MVP (1963) * 3× All-NBA First Team (1959, 1963, 1965) * 8× All-NBA Second Team (1958, 1960–1962, 1964, 1966–1968) * NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969) * 4× NBA rebounding champion (1958, 1959, 1964, 1965) * NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) * NBA anniversary team (25th, 35th, 50th, 75th) * No. 6 retired by Boston Celtics * 2× NCAA champion (1955, 1956) * NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1955) * UPI College Player of the Year (1956) * 2× Helms Player of the Year (1955, 1956) * 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1955, 1956) * WCC Player of the Year (1956) * No. 6 retired by San Francisco Dons * Receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama (2011) As coach: * 2× NBA champion as the league first African American Coach and the leagues first African American player coach to win multiple championships. (1968, 1969) He is in the Basketball HOF, FIBA HOF and the College Basketball HOF.
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