Items belonging to Celtics legend Bill Russell were auctioned off on Friday in Boston. The top 18 items alone brought in more than $5.3 million. Part of the proceeds will go to charity.
Among the items sold was the jersey that Russell wore in Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals – his last NBA game – which earned him his 11th championship. The jersey sold for more than $1.1 million.
Russell’s first championship ring went for $705,000, and his 1956 Olympic gold medal, sold for $587,500.
All total, the auction featured 429 items Russell accumulated during his pro, college and amateur career which resulted in 11 NBA championships, two NCAA titles and a gold medal at the 1956 Olympic games.
The 87-year-old Russell has pledged some of the proceeds to MENTOR, which connects young people with advisers who can provide them with opportunities they might otherwise miss out on, and to the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice, which fights racial injustice and social inequities in the Greater Boston area.
