Provident Credit Union Dons Honor Club | 6/16/2017 10:30:00 AM

Yesterday, the NBA and Turner announced Bill Russell – a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and 11-time NBA Champion and two-time NCAA victor with the San Francisco Dons  – will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the first-ever NBA Awards on TNT, airing Monday, June 26, with coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Among his numerous athletic achievements, Russell was the first player to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NBA Championship and a college title. While playing at USF, he led his team to back-to-back championships (1955 and 1956). A civil rights pioneer, Russell became the first African American to coach a major professional sports team (1966) and win a championship when he guided the Celtics to back-to-back titles (1968 and 1969).

One of the greatest players in the game, Russell became the centerpiece of USF's back-to-back NCAA Championship teams in 1955 and '56, despite being largely ignored by national recruiters. He was a two-time first team All-American and earned Helms Foundation National Player of the Year honors following his junior and senior seasons. A two-time West Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Russell helped the Dons to a then-NCAA record 60-game winning streak and scored 1,636 points and grabbed 1,606 rebounds in his three-year varsity career.

Russell left an indelible mark as a superb shotblocker who revolutionized NBA defensive concepts.  Russell led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA Championships in 13 seasons, was a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a twelve-time All-Star and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996.

He was also a member of the 1956 United States' Olympic Team which won a gold medal. Born in Monroe, La., Russell is enshrined into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the FIBA Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. The NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, recently awarded to Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors, is named in his honor.

The NBA Awards on TNT – hosted by Drake – will be held at Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York City, as the NBA honors all of the league's top performers on one night for the first time.

Complete release from NBA.com