Bill Russell

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Bill Russell was a professional basketball player in the 50's and 60's who stood up for his beliefs despite his ethnicity. Being colored during his career was not easy, especially because his career was based in a segregated city, Boston. Although many people viewed him negatively, Russell overcame adversity to become a very influential person on and off the court.  Bill Russell is a true hero because of his game-changing effect on basketball and his nation-changing effect on society.

As a child, Russell did not have it easy.  When he was 12, his family moved from Louisiana to California due to his father's job.  Shortly after, Russell's mother passed away, creating a special bond between Bill and his father (Anderson).  After Russell finished college in San Francisco, he was drafted to the Boston Celtics in the 1956-1957 season.  During this season, coach Red Auerbach noticed that Russell had a significant defensive threat.  Russell's outstanding rebounding and shot blocking ability made it hard for other teams to defeat the Celtics.  Russell led the team to 11 championships in his 13 season career.  After retiring,  Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1975.  During Russell's career, basketball went from having as many as 10 African-American players to having a majority of the league being black.

Now that Russell is retired, he has more time to be involved with society.  Because he played basketball in a city that viewed one race to be more superior than the other, Russell acquired a strong belief in equality.  In the late 60's, Russell became involved in marches for equality between blacks and whites. He also verbally advocated for his principles with people like Hall of Fame NFL player, Jim Brown, and Hall of Fame tennis player, Arthur Ashe.  Because of his changes to society on and off the court, Russell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, in 2011. He is the first NBA player to do so.

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The main reason why Russell is known as a renowned basketball player, and why the Celtics have 11 of their 17 championships, is because of his impactful demonstration of the importance of defense.  When he first started playing for the Celtics, "He was listed as between 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), and his shot-blocking and man-to-man defense were major reasons for the Celtics' success" ("Bill Russell").  As Russell towered over his opponents, it became hard to score on the surging Celtics.  Russell's defensive figure created a foundation for the NBA, in which defense began to become more recognized.  Throughout his career, Russell continued to be the key to success for the Celtics.  "His NBA career personal averages show him to be an average scorer (15.1 points career average), a poor free throw shooter (56.1%), and average overall shooter from the field (44%, not exceptional for a center). In his 13 years, he averaged a relatively low 13.4 field goals attempted (normally, top scorers average 20 and more), illustrating that he was never the focal point of the Celtics offense, instead focusing on his tremendous defense" (A&E Television Networks).  This stellar defense created a championship winning team, with Russell in the middle of it all.  His defensive greatness got him inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.  Without Russell, the NBA may have never realized the importance of defense to the game.

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During retirement, Russell spent many years advocating for equality and desegregation.  After being exposed to the racism and hate during his successful basketball career, Russell realized that a change was needed.  "He was known for his very vocal approach when it came to advocacy for desegregation and equal opportunity" ("Bill Russell"). Although there were many other African-Americans that had similar views as Russell, not all of them spoke their minds. Russell's fame combined with his powerful messages allowed his beliefs to be heard around the nation, making him a tremendous activist for racial equality. Although Bill was very successful with his speeches on change,"Russell became involved in boycotting, which put a celebrity face on the practice and exponentially increasing the amount of people who were actively aware of it through the controversy it aroused" (Levy).  Because Russell boycotted, many others began to as well, causing a nationwide practice.  Although it was controversial, Russell got his point across, which was ultimately his main goal. Russell is a big reason why Americans today are equal.