or the last four or five years I've had this picture of myself as the gunfighter—the guys coming up who say they saw me when they were in the fourth grade and they watched every move, and practiced them, and how they want to try me. And they keep coming and sometimes I wonder if I still have to prove myself." Photograph by James Drake Text by George Plimpton In 1968, player-coach Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Championships. After taking the championship again in 1969, Russell retired. He returned to coaching in 1973 when he joined the Seattle SuperSonics for four years. He entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974. Now 62, Russell owns Center Court Productions, an NBA-licensed apparel marketing company.
	Sportsmen of the Year: 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996