Bill Russell

Birth Name:

William Felton Russell

Birth Place:

Monroe, Louisiana, United States

Profession

Actor

Drafted second overall in the 1956 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics
His jersey number was retired by the Celtics on March 12th, 1972
Honored with a statue at Boston's city hall in 2013
Inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975
Inducted into the National Collegiate Hall of Fame in 2006
Named captain of the 1956 U․S․ men's Olympic team, going on to lead the team to a gold medal
Named league MVP in '59, '61-'63 and '65
Earned a scholarship to play basketball at the University of San Francisco after he tried out as a walk-on in 1952
Largely unathletic and practically orphaned as a child, he did not begin to excel in basketball after his high school coach named him to his team in the 11th grade
Averaged at least 20 rebounds for 10 of his 13 seasons in the NBA
Became the first NBA player to visit Africa in 1959
Rejected an offer to play for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to declaring for the NBA draft

Fast Facts