Legendary NBA champion Bill Russell dies at 88

The sports world has lost a giant today, as it has been announced that NBA legend Bill Russell has passed away peacefully at the age of 88. 

“Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88,” read a statement on Russell’s official Twitter account, “with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. Arrangements for his memorial service will be announced soon.”

“Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “The countless accolades that he earned for his storied career with the Boston Celtics – including a record 11 championships and five MVP awards – only begin to tell the story of Bill’s immense impact on our league and broader society.

“Bill stood for something much bigger than sports:  the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league.  At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps.  Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity."

While playing his entire NBA career with the Boston Celtics, Russell helped lead the team to 11 NBA championships while also winning five NBA MVP awards. He would later be twice inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1975 as a player, then in 2021 as a coach.