Bill Russell -- the prototypical defensive ... Before he arrived, the Celtics had never won a National Basketball Association title. Five times the 6-foot-9 1/2 Russell was voted MVP.

William Fenton Russell was born in Monroe, La., on Feb. 12, 1934. His family moved to Oakland, Calif., during World War II, when the 9-year-old Russell started playing basketball. Russell didn't ...

On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary big man Bill Russell played in the very ... in the team's inaugural season in the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- a precursor league ...