Cazzie Lee Russell (born June 7, 1944) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and coach. An

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

, he was selected by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

with the first overall pick of the

1966 NBA draft The 1966 NBA draft was the 20th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 11 and 12, 1966, before the 1966–67 season. In this draft, ten NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball ...

. He won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

with the Knicks in 1970.

Early life

Russell was born on June 7, 1944, in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He was an All-State player two years at Chicago's Carver High School. During the 1961-62 season, he averaged 25

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player or team per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of poi ...

, and was the first player from Illinois to be named Mr. Basketball USA. At the end of the 1961-62 season, his junior year, Russell was also named the

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

Boys' Player of the Year. That same year, Russell led Carver to the final game of the

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National F ...

(IHSA) state championship basketball tournament. After winning its first three tournament games, Carver lost by one point in the championship game, 49–48, to Stephen Decatur High School (which had double the student population of Carver), which Decatur won in the final moments. Russell scored 24 points in the game, and was the second leading scorer in the tournament. He was named to the All-Tournament Team. He is considered one of Chicago's greatest high school basketball players of all time.

College career

Russell played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. Along with Bill Buntin, Russell led the

Wolverines The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The wolverine ...

to three consecutive

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

titles (1964–66) and to

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

appearances in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

and

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

. In 1965, Michigan defeated

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

and future Knicks teammate

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was a United States Senate, United States senator from New ...

in the semifinals, 93–76, with Russell scoring 28 points, and Bradley 29. However, Michigan lost in the final game 91–80 to defending national champion

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

and

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

, despite Russell scoring 28 points. In 1966, Russell averaged 30.8 points per game and was named the College Basketball Player of the Year by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(AP). He was similarly selected the top college player by ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' and

UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

, as well as winning the

U.S. Basketball Writers Association The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The US ...

Oscar Robertson Trophy The Oscar Robertson Trophy is given out annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division I men's basketball player by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), first presented in 1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball season, 19 ...

as best college basketball player. The University of Michigan's Crisler Arena, which opened in 1967, has been dubbed ''The House that Cazzie Built''. In addition to being named player of the year in 1966, Russell was selected first team consensus

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n in 1965 and 1966, and second team in 1964. His 30.8 points per game is a Michigan record for scoring in a season (as of 2024). His three year average of 27.1 points per game is also a Michigan record for a career scoring average (as of 2024). His number 33 jersey was retired in 1989, and raised to the rafters of the Crisler Arena. Russell was also initiated into

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911, at Indiana University Bloomington, it has n ...

fraternity - Sigma chapter in 1964. A considerable number of notable basketball players were or are members, such as all time NBA greats

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played Center (basketball), center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was t ...

, and

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...

. Russell lived in the fraternity house his junior year.

Professional career

Russell was drafted by the

with the first overall pick of the

, playing for them for five seasons (1966–1971). While playing for the Knicks he was named to the 1967 All-Rookie Team and won the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

. He is remembered primarily as the

sixth man The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starting lineup, starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in, and the first to be used against the other team's subst ...

during his five seasons with the Knicks, where he scored 4,584 points in 344 games, though it was in his final two seasons with the Knicks that he was primarily the sixth man. He started only 25 games his rookie season (1966–67), but 45 in his second season (1967–68). The 1968-69 season was his best with the Knicks, starting at small forward in 46 games of the 50 in which he played, averaging 32.9

minutes Minutes, also known as minutes of meeting, protocols or, informally, notes, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting and may include a list of attendees, a statement of the activit ...

, 18.3 points and 4.2

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

per game. Russell suffered a season-ending fractured right ankle in a late January 1969 game against the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

. That same year teammate Bill Bradley started 39 of his 82 games, played less than 30 minutes a game, and averaged 12.4 points per game. Russell's playing time diminished during his last two years in New York as he sustained on separate occasions a fractured

ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

and

wrist In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known as the carpal ...

. He started only 33 games combined over those two years, playing 20 minutes a game or less, and scoring less than 12 points a game. During his five years with the Knicks, Russell's basketball fundamentals improved under the coaching of the Knick's

Red Holzman William "Red" Holzman (August 10, 1920 – November 13, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to ...

. Russell's desire to be traded by the Knicks was granted on May 7, 1971, when he was acquired by the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

for

Jerry Lucas Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State University, and 1960 Olympic medal, gold medal Olympian and international player be ...

. Warriors coach

Al Attles Alvin Austin Attles Jr. (November 7, 1936 – August 20, 2024) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive who spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nickname ...

considered Russell not only an excellent offensive player, but a strong rebounder and solid defensive player. In his first season with the Warriors (1971–72), he averaged 36.7 minutes per game, 21.4 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game, higher averages than in any of his five years with the Knicks. He was 17th in MVP voting and appeared in the

1972 NBA All-Star Game The 22nd NBA All-Star Game was played on January 18, 1972, at The Forum. * Coaches: Tom Heinsohn, Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference) and Bill Sharman, Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference) * MVP: Jerry West, Los Angeles (27 minutes, 13 poi ...

. Russell played two more seasons for the Warriors. He was the first player in NBA history to leave a team after finishing his option year when he signed with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

on September 6, 1974. The Warriors did not offer him a no-cut contract, which Russell had demanded. He played three seasons with the Lakers, starting all 82 games in his final season (1976–77), while averaging 16.4 points a game. The Lakers were 53–29, but were swept in the Western Conference finals. While with the Lakers he became the last player to wear the number 32 and 33 jerseys before

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

and

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

, which numbers later were retired in honor of Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. With the Lakers having signed

Jamaal Wilkes Jamaal Abdul-Lateef (born Jackson Keith Wilkes; May 2, 1953), better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former basketball player who was a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star, he won four NBA ...

during the offseason, Russell was one of the team's last player cuts entering the 1977–78 campaign when he was waived on October 16. In 1978, he signed with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

, which would conclude his NBA career. Although he averaged only 8.8 points per game in 36 games for the Bulls, on March 17, 1978, he scored 20 points in a game against the Knicks. In total, Russell spent 12 seasons in the NBA (1966–1978). He was listed as 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), and 218 pounds (99 kg). During the 1978–79 season, the team's only season, Russell played for the Great Falls (Montana) Sky of the Western Basketball Association (WBA). He ended his career after the 1980–81 season when he played for the Philadelphia Kings of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

. At 36 years old, he averaged 23 points a game for the Kings, and was voted the CBA's Newcomer of the Year.

Coaching career

In 1981, he became the head coach for the Lancaster Lightning of the CBA. He guided the team to the 1981–82 league championship. During the playoffs, with his team depleted by injuries, Russell came out of retirement and played for the Lightning in the final game of the league championship series, played in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

. Russell was named the CBA Coach of the Year in 1982. Russell later coached the

Wyoming Wildcatters The Wyoming Wildcatters were a professional basketball team based in Casper, Wyoming. They played 6 seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). They manage ...

Grand Rapids Hoops The Grand Rapids Hoops were a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their first season was in 1989 and their final season was in 2003. Professional basketball later returned to ...

and

Columbus Horizon The Columbus Horizon is a defunct basketball team from Columbus, Ohio that played for five seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1989 to 1994. History Plans to bring professional basketball to Columbus were unveiled in Sept ...

of the CBA and the Mid-Michigan Great Lakers in the Global Basketball Association. He also served as assistant coach of the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

for two seasons (1988–1990). He spent several years as head coach at Centennial High School in Columbus, Ohio, during the mid-1990s before taking the job in Georgia. Russell was the head coach of the men's basketball team at the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. It was founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the United ...

for 13 seasons, until the college eliminated the sport in 2009. He served as an assistant coach at

Armstrong State University Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places * Armstrong River (disambiguation), various rivers Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victor ...

until 2017 when it was discontinued. For the 2024-2025 season, Russell served as the special assistant to the head coach for the women's basketball team at

Flagler College Flagler College is a private university, private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida. The school was founded in 1968 and offers 37 undergraduate majors and two master's programs. It also had a Flagler College – Tallahassee Campus, ...

. He had volunteered in the position in the 2019-20 season, and formally joined the coaching staff the following year.

Military service

During the 1960s while with the Knicks, Russell served in the Fighting 69th Regiment of the

New York Army National Guard The New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the United States Army's available combat forces and approximate ...

. He started in the army as a private. He participated in army service during the basketball season, including being recalled to active duty during national emergencies.

Personal

Russell moved to

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

in 1996 with his wife Myrna White-Russell, a former dancer with the

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is the largest modern dance company in the United States.Dance Data Project (October 2024) 2024 Largest Contemporary and Modern Companies Report Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ...

, who died in 2014. In 1989, Russell was ordained as a Baptist Minister. In January 1970, Russell was pulled over by police in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

and a gun put to his head while police were seeking an escaped prisoner. The only things Russell actually had in common with the prisoner were that he was African-American and had a moustache. Once the policemen realized who he was, he was released. When he returned to practice with the Knicks immediately after the incident, his anger got the best of him and could have caused a rift in the team but for the leadership of team captain

Willis Reed Willis Reed Jr. (June 25, 1942 – March 21, 2023) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and general manager. He spent his entire ten-year pro playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball ...

, whom Russell later called an amazing man when discussing the incident.

Honors

In 2011, Russell was inducted into the

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the Nation ...

. In 1991, he was inducted into the

Michigan Sports Hall of Fame The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports athletes, coaches and contributors. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director, Biggie Munn, pres ...

. In 1978, he was inducted into the

University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan#Athletics, University of Michigan sportsperson, athletes, Coach (sports), coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to t ...

. In 1973, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 2006, Russell was voted as one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament, a group of former players and coaches in honor of the 100 anniversary of the IHSA boys basketball tournament. Russell received the Bobby Jones Award in 2015 at the Athletes in Action All Star Breakfast, which is held each year at the NBA All Star Weekend. In 2016, Russell was the recipient of the Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award at the Athletes in Action Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast, which is held each year at the Final Four.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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, 82 , , – , , 28.0 , , .462 , , – , , .808 , , 4.6 , , 2.4 , , – , , – , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , – , , 32.9 , , .450 , , – , , .796 , , 4.2 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , 18.3 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

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, 57 , , – , , 18.5 , , .429 , , – , , .773 , , 3.4 , , 1.4 , , – , , – , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 79 , , – , , 36.7 , , .455 , , – , , .833 , , 5.4 , , 3.1 , , – , , – , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 80 , , – , , 30.4 , , .458 , , – , , .864 , , 4.4 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , – , , 31.4 , , .482 , , – , , .835 , , 4.3 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 40 , , – , , 26.4 , , .455 , , – , , .894 , , 2.9 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , .1 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 74 , , – , , 22.0 , , .463 , , – , , .892 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .0 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , – , , 31.5 , , .490 , , – , , .858 , , 3.6 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 36 , , – , , 21.9 , , .438 , , – , , .860 , , 2.3 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .1 , , 8.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 817 , , – , , 27.2 , , .464 , , – , , .827 , , 3.8 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .1 , , 15.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .308 , , – , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , – , , – , , 10.0

Playoffs

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1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

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, 4 , , – , , 22.3 , , .394 , , – , , .769 , , 4.8 , , 2.8 , , – , , – , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

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1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

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† , style="text-align:left;”,

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1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

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, 11 , , – , , 10.9 , , .391 , , – , , 1.000 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , – , , – , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

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1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Golden State , 11 , , – , , 23.9 , , .490 , , – , , .864 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , – , , – , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, style="text-align:left;”, L.A. Lakers , 11 , , – , , 34.7 , , .414 , , – , , .880 , , 4.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 15.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 72 , , – , , 21.8 , , .460 , , – , , .870 , , 3.1 , , 1.3 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 11.8

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Cazzie 1944 births Living people African-American basketball coaches All-American college men's basketball players Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American military sports players Basketball coaches from Illinois Chicago Bulls players Continental Basketball Association coaches Golden State Warriors players Los Angeles Lakers players Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players NBA All-Stars NBA broadcasters National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players New York National Guard personnel Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia Kings players Shooting guards Small forwards United States Army soldiers Western Basketball Association players Basketball players from Chicago 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen First overall NBA draft picks

Early life

College career

Professional career

Coaching career

Military service

Personal

Honors

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References