His father took up work in a paper factory as a janitor, and later became a truck driver. Because he worked long and demanding hours, Russell became much closer to his mother, who died unexpectedly when he was twelve years old. This dealt the family a severe blow, with Russell especially emotionally affected. His father gave up his truck-driving job in order to become a steelworker and be closer to the children, at this point semi-orphaned. Later, Russell states that his father became his childhood hero.

Surprisingly, Russell was not a natural basketball player. Although he could run well and had large hands, he was cut from his junior high school team for not understanding the game and plays well enough. He was nearly cut again as a freshman at McClymonds High School. Instead, coach George Powles took him under his wing. It was a unique relationship, as George was white and Russell had not experienced many positive interactions with white authority figures. He worked hard, and during his junior and senior year he and his team won back to back state championships.

Due to being African-American, many college recruiters were uninterested. However, recruiter Hal DeJulio from the University of San Francisco (UCF) saw Russell's instinct for the game and offered him a scholarship. This was Russell's chance out of poverty and racism, and he embraced it eagerly.

In addition to basketball, Russell competed in track and field events. In 1956, the year of his graduation, he was ranked the seventh-best high-jumper in the world.

An Historic Year

Russell captained the U.S. national basketball team and competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. The team won a gold metal and defeated the Soviets 89-55 in the final game. The U.S. dominated the tournament. Russell scored an average of 14.1 per game and the U.S. won by an average of 53.5 points per game.

The 1956 NBS draft tossed Russell and several others back and forth between teams. Ultimately, Russell ended up with the Celtics, along with K.C. Jones and Tom Heinsohn. All three men became future Hall of Famers. The Russell draft-day trade was later called one of the most important trades in the history of North American sports.

Russell could not compete with the Celtics in his first year due to his committment to the Summer Olympics. His first game occurred on December 22, 1956 against the St. Louis Hawks. Russell played 48 games in that first season and averaged 14.7 points per game. He achieved a league-high 19.6 rebounds, as well. 

Achievements

Russell is regarded as one of the most successful and highly decorated athletes in North American sports history. He has been awarded 11 NBA championships during his 13 seaons with the Boston Celtics, including two championships during his tenure as player/head coach. This time coaching was extremely historically significant as he became the first African-American head coach in major U.S. professional sports. Russell was also the first player of any race in NBA history to average more than 20 repounds in a game for a whole season, which he duplicated 10 out of 13 times. He still holds the NBA record for most rebounds in one half with a total of 32. He is the second-highest performing rebounder ever with 51 rebounds in a single game.

He won five regular season MVP awards in 1050, 1961-1963, and 1965. He ties with Michael Jordan for second-most MVP awards of all time, one shy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's six. He was selected for the All-NBA First Teams three times in 1959, 1963, and 1965 and was a twelve-time NBA All-Star (1958-1969.)