Bill Russell, Boston Celtics Legend and NBA Hall of Famer, Dead at 88

etonline.com:

NBA champion as a player and coach with the Boston Celtics and one of the most important figures in NBA history, has died at the age of 88, his family announced Sunday.

Russell passed away peacefully with his wife Jeannine by his side. In a statement shared to Russell's official Twitter account, announcing the news, his family reflected on his life and legacy, calling the sports great «the most prolific winner in American sports history.»«It is with a very heavy heart we would like to pass along to all of Bill's friends, fans & followers: Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side.

Arrangements for his memorial service will be announced soon,» the statement began.«Bill’s two state championships in high school offered a glimmer of the incomparable run of pure team accomplishment to come: twice an NCAA champion; captain of a gold-medal-winning US Olympic team; 11 times an NBA champion; and at the helm for two NBA championships as the first black head coach of any North American professional sports team,» the statement continued. «Along the way, Bill earned a string of individual awards that stands unprecedented as it went unmentioned by him.

In 2009, the award for the NBA Finals most valuable player was renamed after two-time Hall of Famer as the 'Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.'»«But for all the winning, Bill's understanding of the struggle is what illuminated his life.