In 2010 he became a ricipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and on June 15, 2017, he was announced as the inagural recipient of the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Naysayers

Russell repeatedly faced racism and bigotry in his life. Fans and journalists often referred to him as "egotistical, paranoid, and hypocritical" because he refused to respond to fan acclaim or friendship. He declared Boston a "flea market of racism" after his house was broken into and graffitied. He refused to attend his jersey retirement in 1972 and his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1975 due to his feelings against the city. 

The FBI maintained an active file on him, describing him as "an arrogant Negro who won't sign autographs for white children." He was also active in the Black Power movement and supported Muhammad Ali's decision to refuse a drafting. He was sometimes called "Felton X."

Despite his misgivings toward the Caucasians who discriminated against him, he said of George Powles, "I've never met a finer person [than George Powles]... I owe so much to him it's impossible to express." 

At Home

Russel married his college sweetheart Rose Swisher in 1956. They had three children together: Karen (now a teleivision pundit and lawyer), William, and Jacob. They divorced in 1973 and in 1977 Russell remarried to Dorothy Anstett. Dorothy was Miss USA of 1968 and caused controversy due to being Caucasian. They, also, divorced in 1980. In 1996 Russell once again remarried to Marilyn Nault who died years later in January of 2009. 

On October 16, 2013 Russell brought a loaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was promptly arrested. On May 18, 2018 he was rushed to the hospital as a result of dehydration and later released. Russell wrote on Twitter: "Thank you everyone for the kind thoughts, yes I was taken to the hospital last night & as my wife likes to remind me I don’t drink enough. On my way home & as most my friends know I don’t have a heart to give me trouble."

Bill Russel currently lives in Mercer Island, Washington.