Justinian the Great

“Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.”-Bill Russell. American basketball player Bill Russell would know a lot about victory, being the greatest champion in NBA history. Bill Russell was one of the first black basketball players in the NBA and from 1956 to 1969, Russell led the Boston Celtics to eleven of their seventeen national championships. Bill Russell was an ambassador who helped pave the way for black men and women to become leaders and coaches in professional sports.
William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934. Russell was a child plagued by illness most of his childhood. When he was ten years old, Russell’s father, tired of the racism of the South, moved his family to Oakland, California. The change of scenery didn’t do much good though, as Russell’s mother died of the flu just two years later. Russell started playing basketball in high school, but being awkward because of his size, he didn’t get much playing time. Russell’s good grades and size earned him a scholarship at the University of San Francisco. Here his stardom began.
In college, Russell proved to be a defensive genius, leading his team to back to back NCAA championships. In his last year of college, Russell led the U.S. Olympic basketball team to the gold medal. That same year, the Boston Celtics traded up in the draft to get Russell with the second pick of the draft. His new coach, Red Auerbach, was one of the only NBA coaches at the time to be open to blacks playing basketball. Over the next twelve years, with Russell leading the way, the Celtics made their way to eleven finals, winning nine of them. Coach Auerbach retired in 1966 and Russell took over as player coach. Bill Russell was the first ever black coach and the only black player coach in the history of the NBA. Russell led the Celtics to two more titles from 1966 to 1969.
Bill Russell was a great player and a great coach, and he used his position to fight for black civil rights throughout America. Russell, though he was the best player on the Celtics team, was never embraced by the fans like the white players on his team were and he usually had to use a different hotel than his teammates. When Auerbach retired and Russell became player coach, it was a signal to everyone that a black man could coach professional sports. He led the way for many black coaches to come. When civil rights activist Medgar Evers was assassinated. Russell called Evers brother and asked how he could help. Evers told Russell to have a integrated basketball camp there in highly segregated Mississippi. Russell accepted the challenge and held the first ever integrated basketball camp in Mississippi. Russell was not afraid to stand up for civil rights.
Bill Russell was a man of integrity. He was a winner. He never gave up. As basketball’s greatest winner Russell won in basketball and in life. Bill Russell was the first ever black NBA coach. Instead of hiding behind his position, he used it to pave the way for black coaches in all sports.