College and Olympics.

The University of San Francisco won NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956 during Bill Russell's junior and senior years; they were 29-0 during his last year, and Russell won most valuable player (MVP) awards in five of the last six college tournaments he played in. The outstanding college player of the time, he was chosen for the 1956 Olympic basketball team, which won an Olympic gold medal after an eight-game series in which the narrowest margin of victory was thirty points. Russell also qualified for the Olympic team as a high jumper, but he withdrew so that another athlete could have the honor of representing his country.

Contract with the Celtics.

When he turned professional Russell was the most-sought-after player of the year. The Harlem Globetrotters, who played at clowning basketball exhibitions for pure entertainment, offered him a one-year contract for $32,000. The...