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BOSTON, MA (SNN-TV) – NBA legend Bill Russell has died. His family said on social media that Russell passed away “peacefully” Sunday with his wife by his side.
Russell led the Boston Celtics to 11 championships, including eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. Russell was the first black head coach to win an NBA championship, and was also captain of a gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team and received the presidential medal of freedom in 2011.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement yesterday saying, quote, “Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league.”
Bill Russell was 88 years old.
