Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell passed away on Sunday at the age of 88.
Russell's family shared the news of his passing in a statement via Twitter, sharing that "Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side."
Russell was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. Over the course of his 13-year playing career, all with the Boston Celtics, Russell won 11 NBA championships, five MVP awards, was named to 12 All-Star games and earned 11 All-NBA selections.
In 1966, Russell transitioned into a player-coach role, becoming the first-ever Black coach in NBA history. In that role, Russell led the Celtics to two of his 11 championships before retiring as a champion in 1969.
He would go on to have stints as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, from 1973 to 1977, and the Sacramento Kings, from 1987 to 1988.
Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, named to the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996, was given the NBA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Russell's legacy lives on through the NBA Finals MVP Award, which was renamed in his honor in 2009.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on Sunday following Russell’s passing.
“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,” said Silver.
“Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league,” added the Commissioner.