The Boston Celtics in the 1956 NBA draft selected Bill Russell in the first Round. He was one of the best centers in the game along with Wilt Chamberlain. He won nine NBA championships as a player and won two more as a player coach for the Celtics. He accumulated more than 21,000 rebounds and scored more than 14,000 points in his career. He was the MVP of the NBA five times during his career that ended in 1969. Bill was also the first Black head coach of any major league sport, and was elected to the Basketball hall of fame in 1974.