Africa-Press – Seychelles. Bill Russell, legendary basketball player for the Boston Celtics and the United States team, 11-time champion of the North American Basketball League (NBA), died this Sunday at the age of 88, the family announced via his Twitter account.
“The most prolific winner in the history of American sports quietly passed out today at the age of 88, with his wife Jeannine at his bedside,” announced the family of what is considered one of the greatest players in basketball history. The first black player to reach superstar status in the NBA, Russell has 11 North American League titles and the Olympic gold medal in 1956. He was also the first black player to coach a team in a major league, assuming command of the Celtics from 1966 to 1969. Russell, who stood 2.08 meters tall and had an arm span of 2.24 meters, was mostly known for his defensive qualities. His entire NBA career, from 1956 to 1969, was spent in the Boston Celtics’ green jersey, playing 12 finals, of which he won 11.
That winning streak is still a record in the major North American professional championships, on par with Henri Richard of the National Ice Hockey League.
Upon learning of Russell’s death, the NBA honored “the greatest champion of all team sports”. “Bill stood for something much bigger than sport: the values of equality, respect and inclusion, which he inscribed in our league’s DNA,” wrote Adam Silver, the NBA’s ‘boss’, in a statement. “At the height of his sporting career, Bill vigorously championed civic rights and social justice, a heritage he passed on to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps,” added Silver.
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