Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. It isn’t known if Russell was sick but a statement on Twitter said he passed away “peacefully” with his wife Jeannine at his side.
Russell played for the Celtics for 13 seasons and won 11 NBA Championships in a 12-year span. He was also a 12-time All-Star and won five MVP awards.
Russell was awarded the Medal Of Freedom in 2011 by President Barack Obama and the NBA awarded him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that Russell was “the greatest champion in all of team sports.”
“Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps. Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.
