Bill Russell has spoken candidly about the racism that he encountered during his playing days. He succeeded wildly in spite of it, winning 11 championships during his career. Perhaps his most remarkable came in 1968, during the year Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. 

Russell had been named player/head coach at the start of the prior season, taking over for legend Red Auerbach and becoming the first Black head coach in any of the four major American sports.  

It took Russell two years, but he got his ring as a player/coach during the 1968 season. He defeated the hated Lakers, led by Hall of Famers Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Russell added another title against those same Lakers the next year for No. 11. 

Russell’s 1968 championship was about more than basketball. He proved that a Black man could succeed at the highest levels of coaching, paving the way for every minority coach to follow him. 

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