SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Bill Russell, the inspirational leader and dominating basketball superstar who led the University of San Francisco to back-to-back national championships and 11 NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics, passed away on Sunday morning July 31, his family announced via social media.
 
"Bill Russell helped put USF on the map in the 1950's", said USF President Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, SJ. "We are grateful not only for his many contributions to our community, the athletic department and Jesuit education, but also for his courage and commitment to advancing justice, on and beyond the basketball court."
 
Arguably the greatest collegiate basketball star of all-time, Russell was a two-time All-American who guided the Dons to back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956. Impressively, the defensive mastermind helped USF to a 60-game win streak across his two years as he was also named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1955 and the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1956. Russell also won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.
 
Born in Monroe, Louisiana but raised in Oakland, Russell was a two-time state champion at McClymonds High School prior to his arrival on the Hilltop. At USF, Russell still ranks amongst the program's best as the former Don is first all-time in scoring average (20.7), rebounds (1,606), rebounding average (20.3) and free throws attempted (702) while also being seventh in free throws made (386) and ninth in total points (1,636) and field goals made (625).
 
While at USF, Russell became known for his strong defense and shot-blocking skills, but he also grew into a juggernaut on the offensive end. Alongside teammate and future Basketball Hall of Famer K.C. Jones, the duo pioneered a play that later became to be known as the alley-oop.
 
Outside of basketball, Russell also represented the Dons in track and field and was even ranked the seventh-best high-jumper in the world in 1956.
 
After being drafted second overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1956 NBA Draft, Russell went on to be a 12-time All-Star, 11-time champion, five-time Most Valuable Player and 9-time All-NBA selection across his 13 years as a player. From 1966-1969, he also served as player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first African-American coach for a North American professional sports team and the first African-American coach to win a professional championship. Following his time with the Celtics, Russell also coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 1973-1977 and the Sacramento Kings from 1987-1988.
 
Russell also became the first African-American to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as he was a two-time inductee- first as a player in 1975 before later being inducted as a coach in 2021. In 2009, the NBA announced that the Finals Most Valuable Player award would be renamed "The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award". In 2011, Russell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. He also received the NBA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, which is given to a player who exemplified extraordinary success on and off the court in the NBA. Most recently, Russell was announced as a member of the NBA 75^thAnniversary Team in October 2021.
 
In 2020, the West Coast Conference announced the implementation of the Russell Rule, which now requires each member institution to include a member of a traditionally underrepresented community in the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach position in the athletic department.
 
Russell passed peacefully with his wife Jeannine at his side. Arrangements for his memorial service will be announced soon, according to the statement from his social media account.
 
Statements on Bill Russell
 
Boston Celtics: "To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionize the way the game is played, and to be a societal leader all at once seems unthinkable, but that is who Bill Russell was.
 
Bill was a champion unlike any other in the history of team sports – an 11-time NBA champion, including winning eight consecutive titles, a five-time MVP, an Olympic Gold Medalist and the NBA's first Black head coach.
 
Bill Russell's DNA is woven through every element of the Celtics organization, from the relentless pursuit of excellence, to the celebration of team rewards over individual glory, to a commitment to social justice and civil rights off the court.
 
Our thoughts are with his family as we mourn his passing and celebrate his enormous legacy in basketball, Boston, and beyond."
 
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: "Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports. 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.
 
For nearly 35 years since Bill completed his trailblazing career as the league's first Black head coach, we were fortunate to see him at every major NBA event, including the NBA Finals, where he presented the Bill Russell Trophy to the Finals MVP.
 
I cherished my friendship with Bill and was thrilled when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I often called him basketball's Babe Ruth for how he transcended time. Bill was the ultimate winner and consummate teammate, and his influence on the NBA will be felt forever. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Jeannine, his family and his many friends."