After retiring from playing, Russell served as the head coach of the Seattle Supersonics (1973-77) and the Sacramento Kings (1987-88), reaching the playoffs twice with the Sonics. He never had the same success as a coach that he enjoyed in his playing career, however.
Russell was player - coach of the Celtics toward the end of his career.
How could he have?
Look, I loved Russell as color man with Gary Bender on CBS. He had a wild sense of humor, but he retained a bitterness against whites for his entire life. I forget examples, honestly.
“He never had the same success as a coach that he enjoyed in his playing career, however.”
Depends on what you mean by success. He cut the league “games back” amount by far better than half of the previous year in all four of his seasons there when he was hired due to the lack of success of the Sonics. He was a player coach for Boston 66 though 69 and won two championships before he retired the first time. His work in Sacramento was trying to put a bow on a pig.
He was about as successful as expected and then some. Teams, except the wasted effort in Sacramento, were improved by him and while he was in Boston, very successful.
wy69
While coaching the Seattle Supersonics, he married a white girl from the suburbs of south King County. I was buying gas in that neighborhood and he was filling his Rolls Royce right next to me, (self service) with nobody else around.
I said something quietly like “how’s it going coach?”, or something similarly innocuous but he gave no response whatsoever. Wouldn’t even look my way. It was pretty cold. Great player, though.