Bill Russell, the legendary NBA star who died Sunday at age 88, loved to play golf and to meet other celebrity golfers – including games with Michael Jordan. He was a frequent participant in charity golf events and various pro-ams, including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.
Russell’s death was announced on his Twitter account, saying he “passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side.” He was the star of the Boston Celtics dynasty in the 1950s and ’60s, and he later became a voice of social justice as well as taking up golf.
At an agile 6-foot-9, the Hall-of-Famer was a late-comer to golf. Russell told Golf Channel in 2014 that he received a set of golf clubs as a gift at an NBA All-Star Game but didn’t break them out of his garage for years. They sat for so long, the natural left-hander didn’t even realize the gifted clubs were righties.
Check out these photos of Russell on the course and around the game of golf.
Bill Russell
Bill Russell watches the ball after hitting it during the 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at…
Bill Russell watches the ball after hitting it during the 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. (Harry How /Allsport)
Bill Russell
Bill Russell watches as former Giants infielder Joe Morgan hits a shot in the Willie McCovey…
Bill Russell watches as former Giants infielder Joe Morgan hits a shot in the Willie McCovey Golf Classic in 2009 in San Francisco. (Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Bill Russell
Bill Russell and Joe Morgan chat before teeing off at the Joe Morgan Invitational Celebrity Golf…
Bill Russell and Joe Morgan chat before teeing off at the Joe Morgan Invitational Celebrity Golf Tournament in 2001 at Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasanton, Calif. (Jay Solmonson/MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
Bill Russell
Davis Love III is congratulated by Bill Russell after a birdie on the par-5 18th hole…
Davis Love III is congratulated by Bill Russell after a birdie on the par-5 18th hole during the final round of the 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. (Craig Jones/Getty Images)
Bill Russell
Bill Russell and LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam pose at the 25th Great Sports Legends Dinner to…
Bill Russell and LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam pose at the 25th Great Sports Legends Dinner to benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis at The Waldorf-Astoria in 2010 in New York City. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis)
Bill Russell
Bill Russell prepares to tee off alongside comedian Craig Shoemaker during the 2002 Las Vegas Celebrity…
Bill Russell prepares to tee off alongside comedian Craig Shoemaker during the 2002 Las Vegas Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament at Silverstone Golf Club in Las Vegas. (Denise Truscello/WireImage)
Bill Russell
Ethel Kennedy and Bill Russell attend the 22nd annual RFK Center Golf Tournament at the Hyannisport…
Ethel Kennedy and Bill Russell attend the 22nd annual RFK Center Golf Tournament at the Hyannisport Golf Club in 2011 in Hyannis Port, Mass. (Marc Andrew Deley/Getty Images)
Bill Russell
Bill Russell chats with actor Kevin Costner at Spyglass Hill during the first round of the…
Bill Russell chats with actor Kevin Costner at Spyglass Hill during the first round of the 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif. (John G. Mabanglo/AFP via Getty Images)
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