NBA Coach: Bill Russell
(Russell laughing with someone off camera. Image courtesy of The Undefeated)
(Russell taking the court with teammates. Image courtesy of Sports Illustrated)
Background
Prior to becoming a head coach, Bill Russell was a legendary player for the Boston Celtics, winning nine championships. Then, in 1966, Russell was promoted to player-coach following the retirement of Red Auerbach, becoming the first African-American head coach in American sports history. Russell was a player-coach for three seasons, winning two more championships with Boston. When reflecting on his hiring Russell said, "I wasn’t offered the job because I am a Negro, I was offered it because Red figured I could do it."
(Bill Russell scolding a player coming off the court. Image courtesy of Weebly.com/WanderingEyes)
After leaving Boston in 1969, Russell coached the Seattle Supersonics for four years and the Sacramento Kings for a year.
Impact
Russell coached at times of high tension in the United States, at the center of the Civil Rights movement. In his coaching career, he often butted heads with the media and fans, and did not attend his Hall of Fame ceremony or his jersey retirement ceremony. While Russell never gave a specific reason other than "personal reasons", it has been speculated that Russell did not attend his ceremony because there were no other African-American NBA players in the Hall of Fame. However, several members of the New York Renaissance, an all-black team that folded in 1949 were in the Hall. Over the years, Russell has been a constant voice in the Civil Rights movement.
(Russell posing with his 11 NBA Championship rings. Image courtesy of Pinterest)
Russell paved way for other African-American coaches such as Lenny Wilkens and former teammate K.C. Jones. Wilkens would go on to coach a total of seven teams over a 36 year span, winding up in the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Wilkens won an NBA Championship as a coach in 1978 while coaching the Seattle Supersonics. He was named 1994 NBA Coach of the Year while coaching the Atlanta Hawks. K.C. Jones went on to coach college and professional basketball, and won two NBA Championships as a coach while coaching the the Boston Celtics. Jones is in the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.
Because of his career, the Finals MVP Trophy is named in his honor. In 2017, Russell won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his services to the game of basketball.
Quotes by Bill Russell
"What's more important than who's going to be the first black manager is who's going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times."
"Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them."
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot."
Additional Information
Bill Russell made History as the NBA’s First Black Head Coach
(Page researched and written by Sean Ellertson.)
