Bill Russell #6 Banner

Lore & Background

William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in West Monroe, Louisiana. He played college basketball for the San Francisco Dons, leading them to consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. After being drafted second overall by the St. Louis Hawks in 1956, he was traded to the Celtics for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan. Russell served as player-coach for the Celtics from 1966 to 1969, winning the championship in his final season. He later coached the Seattle SuperSonics (1973–1977) and the Sacramento Kings (1987–1988). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 and again in 2021 for his coaching career. In 2022, the NBA retired his #6 jersey league-wide, making him the only player in NBA history to receive that honor.

Reader's Guide

Russell's #6 jersey was retired league-wide by the NBA after his death in 2022. He is one of only three people in North American major professional sports to have their jersey number retired league-wide, alongside Jackie Robinson and Wayne Gretzky. The NBA Finals MVP Award was renamed in his honor in 2009.

Did You Know?

• Russell led the NBA in rebounds four times and remains second all-time in total rebounds and rebounds per game.
• He was one of many players in men's basketball history to achieve the Triple Crown: NCAA championship, Olympic gold medal, and NBA championship.
• Russell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2011.
• He was selected to the NBA 25th, 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams.