A five-time winner of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and a twelve-time All-Star, Bill Russell was the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty that won eleven NBA Championships during his thirteen-year career. Along with Henri Richard of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, Russell holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. Russell is widely considered one of the best defensive players in NBA history, and he also served a three-season stint as player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first African-American NBA coach. Russell was the first athlete to host Saturday Night Live as well. Additionally, he has worked as a… color commentator and is on the board of the National Mentoring Partnership.
Alan Steinberg is the author of numerous books, including the New York Times bestseller Behind the Mask and Black Profiles in Courage with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.