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File:Bill_russell_dribbling_(cropped).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ242185· pop 65· linked from 1,831 articles

Bill Russell

Also known as William Russell, William Felton "Bill" Russell

American basketball player (1934–2022)

AI overview

Bill Russell was an American basketball player who lived from 1934 to 2022 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history. He matters because of his dominant career in professional basketball and his significant impact both on and off the court.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Bill
Family name: Russell
Gender: male
Citizenship: United States
Place of birth: Monroe
Place of death: Mercer Island
Spouse: Dorothy Anstett
Occupation: high jumper
Languages spoken: English language
Native language: English language
Award: FIBA Hall of Fame
Participant in: 1956 Summer Olympics
Sport: athletics
Member of team: Boston Celtics
Position played: center
Country for sport: United States
Mass: 98
Image: Bill russell dribbling (cropped).jpg
Height: 208

Show 14 more facts

writing language: English language
birth name: William Felton Russell
Commons category: Bill Russell
date of birth: 1934-02-12
drafted by: Atlanta Hawks
ethnic group: African Americans
end of work period: 1969-00-00
start of work period: 1956-00-00
date of death: 2022-07-31
name in native language: Bill Russell
sport number: 6
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
coach of sports team: Sacramento Kings
place of burial: Lake View Cemetery

Sources (13)

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Encyclopedic overview

William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that played for 12 NBA championships and won 11 during his 13-year career. Russell is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Russell played college basketball for the San Francisco Dons, leading them to consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. He was named NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP), and captained the gold medal-winning U.S. national basketball team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. These victories along with his NBA championships made Russell one of only eight players in the history of men's basketball to achieve the Triple Crown.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Bill Russell” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.