Bill Russell the player isn’t just a Hall of Famer; the 11-time champion is in the conversation to be the GOAT.
But he has always been so much more than just a player, and on Saturday he entered the Hall of Fame again, this time as a coach — the first Black coach in American professional sports.
Russell is the fifth person to be in the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.
Besides the Celtics, where he won two titles, Russell was also the head coach of the Seattle Supersonics and Sacramento Kings. Russell finished with a 341-290 coaching record, which translates to a .540 winning percentage.
In his acceptance speech, Russell thanked the late Red Auerbach — the legendary Celtics coach who stepped away and turned the team’s reins over to Russell — and the late commissioner David Stern. He also thanked the late Kobe Bryant for his friendship and his wife.
