The world just lost an all-time great, both on and off the floor.
NBA Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtics legend, Bill Russell, died peacefully at the age of 88. A statement posted to social media on Sunday afternoon says that Russell passed alongside his wife Jeannine. He was an 11-time NBA Champion on the court with the Celtics during the franchise’s dynastic run in the 1950s and 60s and was an avid civil rights activist off of it.
No cause of death was given. Russell was notably absent during the NBA Finals MVP trophy presentation in June, citing a long illness as the reason why he could not attend.