Bill Russell

He married his college sweetheart Rose Swisher in 1956. They had three children and divorced in 1973.

He married former Miss USA, Dorothy Anstett, a white woman, in 1977. Their marriage was short-lived as they divorced in 1980.

His third marriage was to Marilyn Nault which lasted till her death in 2009.

He was the son of Charles and Katie Russell. He grew up in a racially segregated neighbourhood where his family was often subjected to rampant acts of racism.

He had a difficult childhood and grew up in poverty. He lost his mother when he was just 12 years old.

He went to McClymonds High School where he started playing basketball. His coach, George Powles, encouraged the youngster to develop his skills and become a good player.

He was offered a scholarship from the University of San Francisco (USF). He was very happy to receive this scholarship as it provided him an opportunity to escape a life of poverty and racism.

He thrived at USF under Coach Phil Woolpert who helped him develop his unique technique of defense. He became the centerpiece of a USF team that became a formidable college basketball team.

He was selected by the Boston Celtics during the 1956 NBA Draft because of his defensive toughness and rebounding prowess. However before his rookie year he was made the captain of the U.S. national basketball team that competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He helped the team win a Gold medal.

He started playing for the Celtics in the 1956-57 season in December. He played 48 games with an average of 14.7 points per game and 19.6 rebounds per game. The Celtics were already a high-scoring team but the addition of Russell added to their strengths.

In his first NBA playoff game against the Syracuse Nationals in 1957, he finished with 16 points and 31 rebounds along with 7 blocks. The Celtics managed a 108-89 victory and swept the Nationals in three games.

In the beginning of the 1957-58 season the Celtics won 14 straight games. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for that season. His team won 49 games and easily made the first berth in the 1958 NBA Playoffs.

His amazing performance continued in the 1958-59 season where he averaged 16.7 points per game and 23.0 rebounds per game. The Celtics won 52 games—a league record.

He is one of the most successful players ever to have graced American basketball. He won 11 NBA championships as a player with the Boston Celtics in 13 seasons. He is just the second player to have ever made 51 rebounds in a single game and the first NBA player to average more than 20 rebounds per game for an entire season.

He won five regular season MVP awards and was selected three times to the all-NBA First Teams.

He was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2011 for his accomplishments in the Civil Rights Movement, both on and off the court.