Bill Russell was the first Black MVP, All-NBA first teamer, head coach and champion coach, and led the NBA’s first all-Black starting lineup to a 12-0 record. Yet he declined being the first Black Hall of Famer, believing earlier Black pioneers who didn’t get a chance in the pros deserved the honor
He was also the joint-first Black NCAA champion in 1955.
Russell declined to attend his initial Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1975. The Boston Celtics legend refused to be the first Black player inducted, believing that others who came before him deserved the honor first.
The first black player enshrined instead was Charles Cooper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Cooper_(basketball) (at the behest of Russell), who helped his team (the New York Rens) win 88 straight games in the 1930s, a record that has never been matched by a professional basketball team. Technically he did play professionally, but he wasn’t able to play in any professional league with white players, or to be a teammate of one.
They also won the 1939 World Basketball Championship, which was probably the best way that the best basketball team in the world was determined at that time, given that it included black teams like the Renaissance and the Globetrotters.
Notably, Russell also declined to get his jersey retired in front of fans in Boston, as he felt the most dominant dynasty in the sport’s history was not appreciated because they had Black players.
This feeling was exacerbated by his own fans very literally breaking into his house and shitting on his bed. When he retired suddenly in the summer of 1969 after his 11th ring, he all but cut ties with the organization for years.
On the court, Russell won 55 straight games and two national championships at a program that had not previously been a powerhouse, and 11 NBA championships in 13 years. From 1952-1984, Russell won 11 championships, and no other player won more than three, excluding seasons where those players were on Bill Russell’s team.