![]() Russell accepts the 1966 Big Ten MVP trophy | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | June 7, 1944
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 218 lb (99 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Carver (Chicago, Illinois) |
College | Michigan (1963–1966) |
NBA draft | 1966: 1st round, 1st overall pick |
Selected by the New York Knicks | |
Playing career | 1966–1981 |
Position | Small forward |
Number | 14, 33, 32 |
Coaching career | 1981–present |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1966–1971 | New York Knicks |
1971–1974 | Golden State Warriors |
1974–1977 | Los Angeles Lakers |
1977–1978 | Chicago Bulls |
1978–1979 | Great Falls Sky |
1980–1981 | Philadelphia Kings |
1982 | Lancaster Lightning |
As coach: | |
1981–1982 | Lancaster Lightning |
1988–1990 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
1996–2009 | SCAD |
2014–2017 | Armstrong State (assistant) |
Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 12,377 (15.1 ppg) |
Rebounds | 3,068 (3.8 rpg) |
Assists | 1,838 (2.2 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame |
Cazzie Lee Russell (born June 7, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An NBA All-Star, he was selected by the New York Knicks with the first overall pick of the 1966 NBA draft. [1] He won an NBA championship with the Knicks in 1970.
Russell was born on June 7, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois. [2] He was an All-State player two years at Chicago's Carver High School. [3] During the 1961-62 season, he averaged 25 points per game, and was the first player from Illinois to be named Mr. Basketball USA. [4] At the end of the 1961-62 season, his junior year, Russell was also named the Chicago Sun-Times Boys' Player of the Year. [5]
That same year, Russell led Carver to the final game of the Illinois High School Association (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. [3] [5] [6] [7]
He is considered one of Chicago's greatest high school basketball players of all time. [4] [7]
Russell played college basketball at the University of Michigan.
Along with Bill Buntin, Russell led the Wolverines to three consecutive Big Ten Conference titles (1964–66) and to Final Four appearances in 1964 and 1965. In 1965, Michigan defeated Princeton and future Knicks teammate Bill Bradley 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 and John Wooden, despite Russell scoring 28 points. [5] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
In 1966, Russell averaged 30.8 points per game and was named the College Basketball Player of the Year by the Associated Press (AP). [14] [5] He was similarly selected the top college player by The Sporting News and UPI, as well as winning the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Oscar Robertson Trophy as best college basketball player. [15] The University of Michigan's Crisler Arena, which opened in 1967, has been dubbed The House that Cazzie Built. [8]
In addition to being named player of the year in 1966, Russell was selected first team consensus All-American in 1965 and 1966, and second team in 1964. [15] [14]
His 30.8 points per game is a Michigan record for scoring in a season (as of 2024). [16] His three year average of 27.1 points per game is also a Michigan record for a career scoring average (as of 2024). [14] [17]
His number 33 jersey was retired in 1989, and raised to the rafters of the Crisler Arena. [12]
Russell was also initiated into Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity - Sigma Chapter in 1964. A considerable number of notable basketball players were or are members, such as all time NBA greats Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Oscar Robertson. [18] [19] [20] Russell lived in the fraternity house his junior year. [21]
Russell was drafted by the New York Knicks with the first overall pick of the 1966 NBA draft, [22] playing for them for five seasons (1966–1971). [23] While playing for the Knicks he was named to the 1967 All-Rookie Team [24] and won the NBA Finals in 1970. [25]
He is remembered primarily as the sixth man 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 sixth man. He started only 25 games his rookie season (1966-67), but 45 in his second season (1967-68). [26] [23] 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, 18.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. [23] Russell suffered a season-ending fractured right ankle in a late January 1969 game against the Seattle SuperSonics. [27] 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. [28]
Russell's playing time diminished during his last two years in New York as he sustained on separate occasions a fractured ankle and wrist. 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. [26] [27] [23]
Russell's desire to be traded by the Knicks was granted on May 7, 1971, when he was acquired by the Golden State Warriors for Jerry Lucas. [29] Warriors coach Al Attles considered Russell not only an excellent offensive player, but a strong rebounder and solid defensive player. [26] 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. [30] [23] He was 17th in MVP voting and appeared in the 1972 NBA All-Star Game. [31] [23]
Russell played two more seasons for the Warriors. [23] 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 on September 6, 1974. [32] The Warriors did not offer him a no-cut contract, which Russell had demanded. [33] [ citation needed ] 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. [34]
While with the Lakers he became the last player to wear the number 32 [34] and 33 [35] jerseys before Magic Johnson [36] and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which numbers later were retired in honor of Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. [37] [38] With the Lakers having signed Jamaal Wilkes 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. [39] In 1978, he signed with the Chicago Bulls, which would conclude his NBA career. [40] [23] 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. [41]
In total, Russell spent 12 seasons in the NBA (1966–1978). [23] He was listed as 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), and 218 pounds (99 kg). [2]
During the 1978–79 season, the team's only season, Russell played for the Great Falls (Montana) Sky of the Western Basketball Association (WBA). [42] He ended his career after the 1980–81 season when he played for the Philadelphia Kings of the Continental Basketball Association. [43] At 36 years old, he averaged 23 points a game for the Kings, and was voted the CBA's Newcomer of the Year. [44]
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,[ citation needed ] played in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Russell was named the CBA Coach of the Year in 1982. [45] [46] Russell later coached the Wyoming Wildcatters, [47] Grand Rapids Hoops [48] and Columbus Horizon [49] of the CBA and the Mid-Michigan Great Lakers in the Global Basketball Association. [50] He also served as assistant coach of the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons (1988–1990). [51] [52]
He spent several years as head coach at Centennial High School in Columbus, Ohio, during the mid-1990s before taking the job in Georgia. [53]
Russell was the head coach of the men's basketball team at the Savannah College of Art and Design for 13 seasons, until the college eliminated the sport in 2009. [54]
He served as an assistant coach at Armstrong State University until 2017 when it was discontinued. [55]
For the 2024-2025 season, Russell served as the special assistant to the head coach for the women's basketball team at Flagler College. [56] [54] He had volunteered in the position in the 2019-20 season, and formally joined the coaching staff the following year. [57]
During the 1960s, while with the Knicks, Russell was in the Fighting 69th Regiment of the New York Army National Guard. He started in the army as a private. [58] He participated in army service during the basketball season, including being recalled to active duty during national emergencies. [59] [60]
Russell moved to Savannah, Georgia in 1996 with his wife Myrna White-Russell, [54] [55] a former dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, [55] [61] who died in 2014. [54] [62] In 1989, Russell was ordained as a Baptist Minister. [53]
In January 1970, Russell had been pulled over by police in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 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, whom Russell later called an amazing man when discussing the incident. [63]
In 2011, Russell was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. [64] In 1991, he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. [5] In 1978, he was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. [65] In 1973, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. [66]
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. [7]
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.[ citation needed ]
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. [67]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
† | Won an NBA championship |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1966–67 | New York | 77 | – | 22.0 | .436 | – | .785 | 3.3 | 2.4 | – | – | 11.3 |
1967–68 | New York | 82 | – | 28.0 | .462 | – | .808 | 4.6 | 2.4 | – | – | 16.9 |
1968–69 | New York | 50 | – | 32.9 | .450 | – | .796 | 4.2 | 2.3 | – | – | 18.3 |
1969–70† | New York | 78 | – | 20.0 | .498 | – | .775 | 3.0 | 1.7 | – | – | 11.5 |
1970–71 | New York | 57 | – | 18.5 | .429 | – | .773 | 3.4 | 1.4 | – | – | 9.2 |
1971–72 | Golden State | 79 | – | 36.7 | .455 | – | .833 | 5.4 | 3.1 | – | – | 21.4 |
1972–73 | Golden State | 80 | – | 30.4 | .458 | – | .864 | 4.4 | 2.3 | – | – | 15.7 |
1973–74 | Golden State | 82 | – | 31.4 | .482 | – | .835 | 4.3 | 2.3 | .7 | .2 | 20.5 |
1974–75 | L.A. Lakers | 40 | – | 26.4 | .455 | – | .894 | 2.9 | 2.7 | .7 | .1 | 15.7 |
1975–76 | L.A. Lakers | 74 | – | 22.0 | .463 | – | .892 | 2.5 | 1.6 | .7 | .0 | 11.8 |
1976–77 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | – | 31.5 | .490 | – | .858 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .1 | 16.4 |
1977–78 | Chicago | 36 | – | 21.9 | .438 | – | .860 | 2.3 | 1.7 | .5 | .1 | 8.8 |
Career | 817 | – | 27.2 | .464 | – | .827 | 3.8 | 2.4 | .8 | .1 | 15.1 | |
All-Star | 1 | 0 | 20.0 | .308 | – | 1.000 | 1.0 | .0 | – | – | 10.0 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1967 | New York | 4 | – | 22.3 | .394 | – | .769 | 4.8 | 2.8 | – | – | 15.5 |
1968 | New York | 6 | – | 34.8 | .561 | – | .833 | 3.8 | 1.7 | – | – | 21.7 |
1969 | New York | 5 | – | 7.2 | .238 | – | 1.000 | 1.0 | .2 | – | – | 2.4 |
1970† | New York | 19 | – | 16.1 | .485 | – | .947 | 2.5 | .8 | – | – | 9.4 |
1971 | New York | 11 | – | 10.9 | .391 | – | 1.000 | 2.0 | .7 | – | – | 5.6 |
1972 | Golden State | 5 | – | 32.2 | .492 | – | .750 | 4.4 | 1.8 | – | – | 14.2 |
1973 | Golden State | 11 | – | 23.9 | .490 | – | .864 | 3.3 | 1.5 | – | – | 14.8 |
1977 | L.A. Lakers | 11 | – | 34.7 | .414 | – | .880 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 15.8 |
Career | 72 | – | 21.8 | .460 | – | .870 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 11.8 |
Vernon Earl Monroe is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams have retired Monroe's number. Due to his on-court success and flashy style of play, Monroe was given the nicknames "Black Jesus" and "Earl the Pearl". Monroe was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990 and the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. In 1996, Monroe was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and in 2021, Monroe was named as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history.
Timothy Duane Hardaway Sr. is an American former professional basketball player. Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers. He was a five-time NBA All-Star and a five-time All-NBA Team member. Hardaway won a gold medal with the United States national basketball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was known for his crossover dribble which was dubbed the "UTEP two-step" by television analysts. In 2022 Hardaway was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Maurice Edward Cheeks is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons. Cheeks was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018. He was the first player with 2,000 steals solely in the NBA.
Micheal Ray Richardson is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight years with the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets. He was a four-time NBA All-Star, and led the league in steals in three seasons. He later became a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and National Basketball League of Canada.
Donald Arvid Nelson is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors. After an All-American career at the University of Iowa, Nelson won five NBA championships playing with the Boston Celtics, with his number 19 retired by the franchise in 1978.
Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1975. He won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their Showtime era in the 1980s. In 2000, McAdoo was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
David William Cowens is an American former professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he played the center position and occasionally played power forward. Cowens spent most of his playing career with the Boston Celtics. He was the 1971 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player. Cowens won NBA championships as a member of the Celtics in 1974 and 1976. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. Cowens has also held coaching positions in the NBA, CBA, and WNBA.
William Walton Sharman was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what was then considered the greatest backcourt duo of all time. As a coach, Sharman won titles in the ABL, ABA, and NBA, and is credited with introducing the now-ubiquitous morning shootaround.
Jackie Butler is an American former professional basketball player. He attended McComb High School in McComb, Mississippi, and transferred to Coastal Christian Academy in Virginia Beach for his final high school season.
Louis Clyde Hudson was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player, who was an All-American at the University of Minnesota and a six-time NBA All-Star, scoring 17,940 total points in 13 NBA seasons.
Anthony George Douglas Mason was an American professional basketball player. In his 13-year career he played with the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in his 13-year NBA career. Mason earned the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1995 and led the NBA in minutes played in the following two seasons. In 1997, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He was selected to the 2001 NBA All-Star Game. Mason was a member of the 1993-1994 New York Knicks team that reached the NBA Finals.
Bailey E. Howell is an American former professional basketball player. After playing college basketball at Mississippi State, Howell played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howell was a six-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA champion and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
James Mitchell Cleamons is an American former professional basketball player and was a coach in the NBA and at the college and high school levels. He was an assistant coach on nine National Basketball Association (NBA) championship teams.
John Michael Green, nicknamed "Jumpin' Johnny", was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, earning consensus second-team All-American honors. He was a four-time NBA All-Star.
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 players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip. The New York Knicks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Detroit Pistons were awarded the second pick. This draft was the first to use the coin flip method, which replaced the territorial pick rule. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. An expansion franchise, the Chicago Bulls, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the last pick of each round. The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising 112 players selected.
Clyde Wayne Lee is an American former professional basketball player who had his most success as an All-American center at Vanderbilt University, where the two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year was among the most heralded players in school history. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1965 NBA draft and a one-time NBA All-Star, playing ten seasons in the league.
Howard K. "Butch" Komives was an American professional basketball player who spent ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Buffalo Braves and Kansas City-Omaha Kings.
William L. Buntin was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. Buntin died of a heart attack at age 26.
Larry Fogle is a retired American basketball player. He was an American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) draft pick. He played in two games for the New York Knicks during 1975–1976 before playing for the CBA and starring on the Rochester Zeniths 1977–78 championship team.
Jalen Marquis Brunson is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted with the 33rd overall selection of the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks and played his first four seasons in the NBA with them. He played college basketball for Villanova University, where he was the National Player of the Year as a junior and won two national championships.