America mourns the death of basketball legend and civil rights activist Bill Russell
Bill Russell redefined how basketball is played, and then he changed the way the sport was viewed in a racially divided country. Key points: Bill Russell is a 12-time All-Star and was voted the greatest player in history in 1980 He won 11 championships as the core of the dominant Boston Celtics team MVP award for best player of the NBA finals series named after him The most prolific winner in NBA history, Russell marched with Martin Luther King Jr, endorsed Muhammad Ali and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. The heart of the Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years, Russell won his last two NBA titles as a player-coach—the first black coach in a major US sport. Russell died on Sunday at the age of 88. His family posted the news on social media, saying his wife Jeannine was by his side. The statement did not provide a cause of death, but Russell was not well enough to present the NBA Finals MVP trophy in June due to a long illne