Cazzie Russell facts for kids
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Russell accepts the 1966 Big Ten MVP trophy
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| Flagler Saints | |
|---|---|
| Assistant coach | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 7, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| High school | Carver (Chicago, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 218 lb (99 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Michigan (1963–1966) |
| NBA Draft | 1966 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Pro career | 1966–1981 |
| Coaching career | 1981–present |
| League | Peach Belt Conference |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1966–1971 | New York Knicks |
| 1971–1974 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1974–1977 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1977–1978 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1978–1979 | Great Falls Sky |
| 1980–1981 | Philadelphia Kings |
| 1982 | Lancaster Lightning |
| As coach: | |
| 1981–1985 | Lancaster Lightning |
| 1985 | New Jersey Jammers |
| 1986–1988 | Wyoming Wildcatters |
| 1988–1990 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
| 1990–1991 | Grand Rapids Hoops |
| 1992–1994 | Columbus Horizon |
| 1996–2009 | SCAD |
| 2014–2017 | Armstrong State (assistant) |
| 2019–present | Flagler (women's assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,377 (15.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,068 (3.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,838 (2.2 apg) |
Cazzie Lee Russell (born June 7, 1944) is a famous American basketball player and coach. He was chosen as the very first player in the 1966 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He later helped the Knicks win an NBA championship in 1970. Russell was also an NBA All-Star player.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Cazzie Russell was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 7, 1944. He became an amazing basketball player at Carver High School in Chicago. He was so good that he was named an All-State player for two years.
During the 1961-62 season, he scored about 25 points per game. He was the first player from Illinois to be named Mr. Basketball USA. This award goes to the best high school basketball player in the country.
In his junior year (1961-62), Russell led Carver High School to the state championship game. Even though Carver lost by just one point, Russell scored 24 points. He was considered one of Chicago's best high school basketball players ever.
College Basketball Career
Cazzie Russell played college basketball for the University of Michigan. He was a key player for the Michigan Wolverines.
With his teammate Bill Buntin, Russell helped the Wolverines win three straight Big Ten Conference titles. They also reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament in 1964 and 1965. In 1965, Michigan played against Princeton and future Knicks teammate Bill Bradley. Russell scored 28 points in that game. However, Michigan lost the final game to UCLA, even with Russell scoring 28 points.
In 1966, Russell was named the College Basketball Player of the Year. He scored an average of 30.8 points per game that season. This is still a record for Michigan basketball today. His career average of 27.1 points per game is also a Michigan record.
The University of Michigan's basketball arena, Crisler Arena, is sometimes called The House that Cazzie Built. This shows how important he was to the team. In 1989, Michigan retired his number 33 jersey to honor him.
Professional Basketball Career
Cazzie Russell was the very first player chosen in the 1966 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He played for the Knicks for five seasons, from 1966 to 1971.
Winning an NBA Championship
In 1967, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. This means he was one of the best new players in the league. In 1970, Russell and the Knicks won the NBA Finals, becoming NBA champions. He was often a "sixth man" for the Knicks. This means he was a very important player who came off the bench.
Russell had his best season with the Knicks in 1968-69. He started many games and averaged 18.3 points per game. However, he had some injuries, including a fractured ankle and wrist. These injuries limited his playing time in his last two years with the Knicks.
Moving to Other Teams
In 1971, Russell was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He played much more with the Warriors and had his best scoring season. In his first year with them (1971–72), he averaged 21.4 points per game. He was also chosen to play in the 1972 NBA All-Star Game.
After two more seasons with the Warriors, Russell joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1974. He played three seasons there. In his final season with the Lakers (1976–77), he started all 82 games. He averaged 16.4 points per game that year.
Russell was the last player to wear numbers 32 and 33 for the Lakers before Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. These numbers were later retired to honor Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. Russell finished his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls in 1978. He played a total of 12 seasons in the NBA.
After the NBA, Russell played for other basketball teams. In 1981, he played for the Philadelphia Kings in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). Even at 36 years old, he averaged 23 points per game and was named the CBA's Newcomer of the Year.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Cazzie Russell became a basketball coach. In 1981, he became the head coach for the Lancaster Lightning in the CBA. He led the team to win the league championship in 1982. He was also named the CBA Coach of the Year that same year.
Russell coached several other teams in the CBA. He also worked as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons. He spent many years coaching high school basketball at Centennial High School in Ohio.
Later, Russell became the head coach for the men's basketball team at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He coached there for 13 seasons. He also served as an assistant coach at Armstrong State University until 2017.
As of 2025, Russell is an assistant coach for the women's basketball team at Flagler College. He has been with the team since 2019.
Military Service
While playing for the New York Knicks in the 1960s, Cazzie Russell also served in the New York Army National Guard. He was part of the Fighting 69th Regiment. He continued his army service even during the basketball season.
Personal Life
Cazzie Russell moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 1996 with his wife, Myrna White-Russell. She was a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Myrna passed away in 2014. In 1989, Russell became a Baptist Minister.
In 1970, Russell had a scary experience with police in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was stopped because police thought he looked like an escaped prisoner. Once they realized who he was, he was released. His teammate Willis Reed helped him deal with the anger from this event.
Honors and Awards
Cazzie Russell has received many honors for his basketball career:
- In 2011, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
- He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.
- In 1978, he was honored by the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.
- He is also in the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1973).
- In 2006, he was named one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament. This honored the 100th anniversary of the Illinois high school basketball tournament.
- Russell received the Bobby Jones Award in 2015.
- In 2016, he received the Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–67 | New York | 77 | – | 22.0 | .436 | – | .785 | 3.3 | 2.4 | – | – | 11.3 |
| 1967–68 | New York | 82 | – | 28.0 | .462 | – | .808 | 4.6 | 2.4 | – | – | 16.9 |
| 1968–69 | New York | 50 | – | 32.9 | .450 | – | .796 | 4.2 | 2.3 | – | – | 18.3 |
| 1969–70† | New York | 78 | – | 20.0 | .498 | – | .775 | 3.0 | 1.7 | – | – | 11.5 |
| 1970–71 | New York | 57 | – | 18.5 | .429 | – | .773 | 3.4 | 1.4 | – | – | 9.2 |
| 1971–72 | Golden State | 79 | – | 36.7 | .455 | – | .833 | 5.4 | 3.1 | – | – | 21.4 |
| 1972–73 | Golden State | 80 | – | 30.4 | .458 | – | .864 | 4.4 | 2.3 | – | – | 15.7 |
| 1973–74 | Golden State | 82 | – | 31.4 | .482 | – | .835 | 4.3 | 2.3 | .7 | .2 | 20.5 |
| 1974–75 | L.A. Lakers | 40 | – | 26.4 | .455 | – | .894 | 2.9 | 2.7 | .7 | .1 | 15.7 |
| 1975–76 | L.A. Lakers | 74 | – | 22.0 | .463 | – | .892 | 2.5 | 1.6 | .7 | .0 | 11.8 |
| 1976–77 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | – | 31.5 | .490 | – | .858 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .1 | 16.4 |
| 1977–78 | Chicago | 36 | – | 21.9 | .438 | – | .860 | 2.3 | 1.7 | .5 | .1 | 8.8 |
| Career | 817 | – | 27.2 | .464 | – | .827 | 3.8 | 2.4 | .8 | .1 | 15.1 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 20.0 | .308 | – | 1.000 | 1.0 | .0 | – | – | 10.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | New York | 4 | – | 22.3 | .394 | – | .769 | 4.8 | 2.8 | – | – | 15.5 |
| 1968 | New York | 6 | – | 34.8 | .561 | – | .833 | 3.8 | 1.7 | – | – | 21.7 |
| 1969 | New York | 5 | – | 7.2 | .238 | – | 1.000 | 1.0 | .2 | – | – | 2.4 |
| 1970† | New York | 19 | – | 16.1 | .485 | – | .947 | 2.5 | .8 | – | – | 9.4 |
| 1971 | New York | 11 | – | 10.9 | .391 | – | 1.000 | 2.0 | .7 | – | – | 5.6 |
| 1972 | Golden State | 5 | – | 32.2 | .492 | – | .750 | 4.4 | 1.8 | – | – | 14.2 |
| 1973 | Golden State | 11 | – | 23.9 | .490 | – | .864 | 3.3 | 1.5 | – | – | 14.8 |
| 1977 | L.A. Lakers | 11 | – | 34.7 | .414 | – | .880 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 15.8 |
| Career | 72 | – | 21.8 | .460 | – | .870 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 11.8 | |
See also
In Spanish: Cazzie Russell para niños
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
