His family posted an announcement on Twitter
It is with a very heavy heart we would like to pass along to all of
Bill's friends, fans, & followers:
Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history,
passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by
his side. Arrangements for his memorial service will be announced
soon
Bill's two state championships in high school offered a glimmer of
the incomparable run of pure team accomplishment to come: twice
an NCAA champion; captain of a gold-medal-winning US
Olympic team; 11 times an NBA champion; and at the helm for
two NBA championships as the first black head coach of any
North American professional sports team.
Along the way, Bill earned a string of individual awards that stands
unprecedented as it went unmentioned by him. In 2009, the award
for the NBA Finals most valuable player was renamed after two-
time Hall of Famer as the "Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable
Player Award"
But for all the winning, Bill's understanding of the struggle is
what illuminated his life. From boycotting a 1961 exhibition game
to unmask too-long-tolerated discrimination, to leading
Mississippi's first integrated basketball camp in the combustible
wake of Medgar Evans' assassination, to decades of activism
ultimately recognized by his receipt of the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in 2010. Bill called out injustice with an unforgiving
candor that he intended would disrupt the status quo, and with a
powerful example that, though never his humble intention, will
forever inspire teamwork, selflessness and thoughtful change.
Bill's wife. Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you
for keeping Bill in your prayers. Perhaps you'll relive one or two
of the golden moments he gave us, or recall his trademark laugh as
he delighted in explaining the real story behind how those
moments unfolded. And we hope each of us can find a new way to
act or speak up with Bill's uncompromising, dignified and always
constructive commitment to principle. That would be one last, and
lasting, win for our beloved #6.