NBA legend Bill Russell has died at age 88. He anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 titles in 13 years.
In this Feb. 23, 1956 photo, Bill Russell, a member of the University of San Francisco basketball team, shows how he scores baskets. (AP)Bill Russell wears a Boston Celtics uniform for his first workout with the NBA team shortly after having signed a contract in Boston on Dec. 19, 1956. (AP)Bill Russell embraces teammate Bob Cousy on April 24, 1963 in the locker room after the Celtics won their fifth consecutive NBA championship, beating the Lakers in Los Angeles. (Ed Widdis/AP)Bill Russell speaks with reporters about a boycott of public schools to protest segregation in June 1963. (Frank Curtin/AP)Bill Russell receives "Player of the Year" award from National Basketball Association Commissioner Walter Kennedy during half time of the All-Stars game at Boston Garden on Jan. 14, 1964. (AP)Bill Russell, star of the Boston Celtics, is congratulated by coach Arnold "Red" Auerbach after scoring his 10,000th point in the NBA game against the Baltimore Bullets in Boston Garden on Dec. 12, 1964. (Bill Chaplis/AP)Neither Boston Coach Red Auerbach or center Bill Russell can take his eyes from the action as they shake hands on the bench in the final seconds of the Celtics' 112-99 win over the Lakers in an NBA playoff game at Los Angeles April 23, 1965. Russell had just left the game -- for the first time -- with less than a minute to play. Boston's win gave them a 3-1 lead in the best of 7 series. (Ed Widdis/AP)Bill Russell holds a corsage sent to the dressing room as he celebrates with Celtics coach Red Auerbach after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, 95-93, to win their eighth-straight NBA Championship, in Boston, in this April 29, 1966, photo. (AP)Bill Russell grins at announcement that he had been named coach of the Boston Celtics basketball team on April 18, 1966. (AP)In this May 5, 1969, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers' Wilt Chamberlain tries to shoot against Boston Celtics' Bill Russell during an NBA basketball finals game at the Forum in Los Angeles. (AP)Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics is shown in 1968. Russell has died at age 88. He anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 titles in 13 years. (AP)Boston Celtics legendary center Bill Russell answers questions from members of the media after a Celtics team practice in Waltham, Massachusetts on Oct. 11, 1999. (Angela Rowlings/AP)NBA great Bill Russell reacts at a news conference as he learns the most valuable player award for the NBA basketball championships has been renamed the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, Feb. 14, 2009, in Phoenix. (Matt York/AP)President Barack Obama reaches up to present a 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom to basketball hall of fame member, former Boston Celtics coach and captain Bill Russell on Feb. 15, 2011, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (Charles Dharapak/AP)Bill Russell addresses an audience during a campaign fundraising event, in Boston, May 18, 2011. (Steven Senne/AP)Bill Russell stands court side during a tribute in his honor in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks in Boston on Nov. 1, 2013. (Michael Dwyer/AP)The 1969 game worn jersey of Boston Celtics' legend Bill Russell is displayed along with other memorabilia for auction in 2021 in Boston. (Charles Krupa/AP)Inductee Bill Russell stands on stage during the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement ceremony on Sept. 11, 2021, in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Jessica Hill/AP)
