Celtics Legend Bill Russell to Receive Arthur Ashe Courage Award at 2019 ESPYs

Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell announced Thursday that he will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2019 ESPY Awards on July 10.

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award was established in 1993 and first given to former NC State men's basketball coach Jim Valvano, who died from cancer less than two months later.

Muhammad Ali, Dean Smith, Billie Jean King, Pat Tillman and Nelson Mandela are among the other luminaries who have won the award.

The 85-year-old Russell spent his entire 13-year NBA career with the Celtics. The center was a 12-time All-Star, five-time MVP and 11-time NBA champion. Russell ranks second on the NBA's all-time rebounding list with 21,620.

In 1966, Russell was named player/coach for the Celtics, making him the first black head coach in NBA history. He won two championships as Boston's head coach.

Prior to entering the NBA in 1956, Russell overcame racism within the sport of basketball and led the University of San Francisco to national championships in 1955 and 1956.

Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, and he is also a member of the College Basketball and FIBA Halls of Fame.

Additionally, Russell was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 by President Barack Obama.

Russell is one of the biggest trailblazers in sports history, as he paved the path for black players to become superstars in the NBA after initially being met with some resistance.

The Monroe, Louisiana, native overcame adversity to become one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, and when he accepts the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on July 10, it will mark another accolade in a life that has been filled with them.