Bill Russell Is a Legend on the Court and at Home — Let’s Meet His Children!

Allison Hunt - Author
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PUBLISHED Feb. 9 2023, 10:33 p.m. ET

Bill Russell
Source: Getty Images

There are few people that come to mind when you think about being one of the greatest of all time when it comes to basketball. LeBron James being a very obvious choice. Micheal Jordan being another. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, of course. And you can't talk about this list without bringing up Bill Russell.

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The latter is a very fitting topic, since Bill Russell: Legend dropped on Feb. 8, 2023. Bill Russell: Legend is about "the remarkable life and legacy of an NBA superstar and civil rights icon." That icon being Bill Russell of course.

While we know him as a GOAT both on the court, and in the civil rights arena, did you know he was a family man? Let's meet his children!

Let's meet Bill Russell's children!

Bill had three beautiful children with his first wife, Rose Swisher. Bill and Rose were married from 1956 to 1973.

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Karen Russell

Karen is Bill's most well known child, and the only daughter from his union with Rose. Karen has a B.A. in Philosophy and Government from Georgetown with a Law Degree from Harvard. Since graduating, Karen has devoted her life to racial equality, much like her father. Karen is the founder of Next Gen: #Blacklivesmatter and is a "inclusion and diversity specialist" and has "developed programs and supported enterprise-wide diversity initiatives, including employee-based inclusion networks, education roadmaps, and inclusive talent management projects."

Karen even gave a Ted Talk called "Modern Mentoring: The Good, The Bad, and The Better" that's about how mentoring can be inspirational and really lead future generations to success.

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William Felton Jr. Russell

William Felton Jr. is Bill and Rose's oldest son. Sadly, William (known as Bill) passed away of cancer in 2016. While there isn't a lot of information out there about him. Bill's obituary said that he worked as a driver at Cox Trucking for many years and loved dogs, music, and books.

Jacob H. Russell

Jacob H. Russell is Bill and Rose's youngest son. There isn't much information about Jacob except that he lives in Washington state with his wife, Sara Marckx Russell.

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What's 'Bill Russell: Legend' about?

Bill Russell: Legend follows Bill's life and legacy. Netflix describes the docuseries in the caption of the trail as:

"On the court, Bill Russell was a force to be reckoned with — a champion who sacrificed himself for his teammates and love of basketball. Off the court, Bill Russell was a force in the fight for human rights — marching with the great Martin Luther King Jr., pioneering NBA boycotts and fighting against racism. Bill Russell: Legend tells the remarkable life and legacy of an NBA superstar and civil rights icon."

Sadly, Bill passed away on July 31, 2022, at the age of 88.

Rest in Peace, Bill. Thank you for all you've done for the game or basketball and for civil rights. Your legacy will long be remembered!

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