When I was 10 years me and my older brother used to always talk about basketball and he would always tell me about NBA stars that were good from the past. One of the NBA stars he told me about was Bill Russell a NBA player that was one of the first African American players to play the sport. He is considered one of the best centers in history. He also is one of the only NBA players to get 11 rings from winning NBA championship games.

Bill Russell, “One of the first African American basketball players” was born in Louisiana and when he turned eight years old his father moved them out to Oakland, California so his father could get a better job. When Russell went to high school, he was really tall so all the coaches wanted him on the team. A coach from University of South Florida recruited Russell and then he went out to play there. That is when Russell started to become a really good defensive player. In 1956, Bill Russell got drafted to the Boston Celtics and won a championship that year, this was his first championship.

During Bill Russell’s career in the NBA he got to participate in the All Star Game. He also went to 11 championships and won all of  that while playing for the Boston Celtics. Bill Russell also won a gold medal in the Olympics of 1956. Throughout his whole NBA career he got a lot of awards, Most Valuable Player in the NBA, Defensive Player Of The Year, six times in a row!

Bill Russell got hated because he was black even at games on his home court. People would yell racist and derogatory comments. He was not safe at home either, people would break into his home and vandalize it and when he went on drives the police would follow him. Bill Russell is an inspiration to me because of how he handled racism and is still able to play in the NBA.