How Many Rings Does Bill Russell Have? 11 in 13 Seasons
How many rings does Bill Russell have? Bill Russell has 11 NBA championship rings, all with the Boston Celtics. He won them in 13 seasons, from 1956-57 to 1968-69. As of October 2026, no player has more. Sam Jones is next with 10.
Russell died on July 31, 2022, at age 88, so his count is final. The Celtics reached 12 NBA Finals with him and won 11 of them.
He was a player coach for his last two titles, in 1968 and 1969.
- Finals played
- 12
- Finals won
- 11
- Finals record
- 11-1
- Team
- Boston Celtics
- As player coach
- 2 (1968, 1969)
- Age at first and last title
- 23 and 35
Every Finals he played
- 1957HawksWon 4-3
- 1958HawksLost 2-4
- 1959LakersWon 4-0
- 1960HawksWon 4-3
- 1961HawksWon 4-1
- 1962LakersWon 4-3
- 1963LakersWon 4-2
- 1964WarriorsWon 4-1
- 1965LakersWon 4-1
- 1966LakersWon 4-3
- 1968LakersWon 4-2
- 1969LakersWon 4-3
Tap each Russell ring, then fill the two empty slots
Russell's ring case
Thirteen seasons. Eleven gold rings. Two empty slots. Tap a ring to open the clincher. Tap an empty slot to fill it.
Real ring Season without a ring Pretend ring (IF)
Russell’s 11 rings at a glance
| Ring | Title year | Opponent | Series | Clinching game | Final score | Russell in the clincher | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1957 | St. Louis Hawks | 4-3 | Game 7, Apr 13, 1957 | Celtics 125, Hawks 123 (2OT) | 19 pts, 32 reb | 23 |
| 2 | 1959 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4-0 | Game 4, Apr 9, 1959 at Minneapolis | Celtics 118, Lakers 113 | 15 pts, 30 reb | 25 |
| 3 | 1960 | St. Louis Hawks | 4-3 | Game 7, Apr 9, 1960 | Celtics 122, Hawks 103 | 22 pts, 35 reb | 26 |
| 4 | 1961 | St. Louis Hawks | 4-1 | Game 5, Apr 11, 1961 | Celtics 121, Hawks 112 | 30 pts, 38 reb | 27 |
| 5 | 1962 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 | Game 7, Apr 18, 1962 | Celtics 110, Lakers 107 (OT) | 30 pts, 40 reb | 28 |
| 6 | 1963 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 | Game 6, Apr 24, 1963 at Los Angeles | Celtics 112, Lakers 109 | 12 pts, 24 reb | 29 |
| 7 | 1964 | San Francisco Warriors | 4-1 | Game 5, Apr 26, 1964 | Celtics 105, Warriors 99 | 14 pts, 26 reb | 30 |
| 8 | 1965 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 | Game 5, Apr 25, 1965 | Celtics 129, Lakers 96 | 22 pts, 30 reb | 31 |
| 9 | 1966 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 | Game 7, Apr 28, 1966 | Celtics 95, Lakers 93 | 25 pts, 32 reb | 32 |
| 10 | 1968 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 | Game 6, May 2, 1968 at Los Angeles | Celtics 124, Lakers 109 | 12 pts, 19 reb | 34 |
| 11 | 1969 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 | Game 7, May 5, 1969 at Los Angeles | Celtics 108, Lakers 106 | 6 pts, 21 reb | 35 |
Russell played for Red Auerbach through 1966 and was a player coach in 1968 and 1969. Age is on the clinching date. Data as of October 2026.
The two seasons without a ring
| Season | Round lost | Opponent | Series | Last game | Final score | Celtics record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-58 | NBA Finals | St. Louis Hawks | Lost 4-2 | Game 6, Apr 12, 1958 at St. Louis | Hawks 110, Celtics 109 | 49-23 |
| 1966-67 | Eastern Division Finals | Philadelphia 76ers | Lost 4-1 | Game 5, Apr 11, 1967 at Philadelphia | 76ers 140, Celtics 116 | 60-21 |
Boston finished first in the East in 1957-58 and second in 1966-67. Philadelphia was 68-13 in 1966-67. Data as of October 2026.
In 1958 Russell sprained his ankle in Game 3 of the Finals and missed Games 4 and 5. He came back for Game 6, a 110-109 loss in St. Louis.
In 1967 Philadelphia ended the run of eight straight titles in five games. It was Russell’s first season as player coach.
By the numbers: Russell’s Celtics won 27 of 29 playoff series. They went 4-0 in division semifinals, 12-1 in the Eastern Division Finals and 11-1 in the NBA Finals.
How the 11 titles were won
Ten Game 7s, ten wins
| Date | Round | Opponent | Final score | Site | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 1957 | NBA Finals | St. Louis Hawks | Celtics 125, Hawks 123 (2OT) | Boston | 2 |
| Apr 1, 1959 | Eastern Division Finals | Syracuse Nationals | Celtics 130, Nationals 125 | Boston | 5 |
| Apr 9, 1960 | NBA Finals | St. Louis Hawks | Celtics 122, Hawks 103 | Boston | 19 |
| Apr 5, 1962 | Eastern Division Finals | Philadelphia Warriors | Celtics 109, Warriors 107 | Boston | 2 |
| Apr 18, 1962 | NBA Finals | Los Angeles Lakers | Celtics 110, Lakers 107 (OT) | Boston | 3 |
| Apr 10, 1963 | Eastern Division Finals | Cincinnati Royals | Celtics 142, Royals 131 | Boston | 11 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | Eastern Division Finals | Philadelphia 76ers | Celtics 110, 76ers 109 | Boston | 1 |
| Apr 28, 1966 | NBA Finals | Los Angeles Lakers | Celtics 95, Lakers 93 | Boston | 2 |
| Apr 19, 1968 | Eastern Division Finals | Philadelphia 76ers | Celtics 100, 76ers 96 | Philadelphia | 4 |
| May 5, 1969 | NBA Finals | Los Angeles Lakers | Celtics 108, Lakers 106 | Los Angeles | 2 |
Boston won all ten Game 7s with Russell. The five NBA Finals games were all title clinchers. Data as of October 2026.
By the numbers: six of the ten were decided by three points or fewer, and two went to overtime. The closest was a one point win over Philadelphia on April 15, 1965. Eight of the ten were played in Boston.
Russell’s ring count next to his teammates and later stars
| Player | Rings | Won with Russell | Title years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Russell | 11 | 11 | Celtics 1957, 1959 to 1966, 1968, 1969 |
| Sam Jones | 10 | 10 | Celtics 1959 to 1966, 1968, 1969 |
| John Havlicek | 8 | 6 | Celtics 1963 to 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976 |
| Tom Heinsohn | 8 | 8 | Celtics 1957, 1959 to 1965 |
| K.C. Jones | 8 | 8 | Celtics 1959 to 1966 |
| Tom Sanders | 8 | 8 | Celtics 1961 to 1966, 1968, 1969 |
| Robert Horry | 7 | 0 | Rockets 1994, 1995; Lakers 2000 to 2002; Spurs 2005, 2007 |
| Michael Jordan | 6 | 0 | Bulls 1991 to 1993, 1996 to 1998 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 6 | 0 | Bucks 1971; Lakers 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988 |
| Stephen Curry | 4 | 0 | Warriors 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 |
| LeBron James | 4 | 0 | Heat 2012, 2013; Cavaliers 2016; Lakers 2020 |
Counts as of October 2026. Havlicek won his last two rings in 1974 and 1976, after Russell retired.
Every player with 8 or more rings played on Russell’s Celtics. Sam Jones, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones and Tom Sanders won every one of their rings with him. Russell has five more rings than Michael Jordan and seven more than LeBron James or Stephen Curry.
See how many rings Michael Jordan has, how many rings LeBron James has and how many rings Stephen Curry has.
The full ranking is on most rings in NBA history. Every champion by team is on NBA championships by team, and the coaches are on NBA coaches with the most rings.
More counts are on our NBA hub.
Rings next to his other honors
| Honor | Count | Details |
|---|---|---|
| NBA championships | 11 | 1957, 1959 to 1966, 1968, 1969 |
| Regular season MVP | 5 | 1957-58, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1964-65 |
| All-Star selections | 12 | Every season from 1957-58 to 1968-69 |
| All-NBA teams | 11 | 3 first team, 8 second team |
| NCAA championships | 2 | 1955 and 1956, University of San Francisco |
| Olympic gold medal | 1 | 1956, Melbourne |
| NBA Finals MVP | 0 | The award began in 1969; the league named it for him in 2009 |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | 2 | Player in 1975, coach in 2021 |
Data as of October 2026.
Jerry West of the losing Lakers won the first Finals MVP award in 1969, Russell’s last season.
He won five regular season MVP awards instead.
Russell’s final count and his number
Russell died on July 31, 2022. The Celtics retired his number 6 in 1972. On August 11, 2022, the NBA retired it across the league, the first time it had done that for any player. Players who already wore 6 could keep it.
His total stays at 11. Stephen Curry and LeBron James have four each.
Compare Russell with
Bill Russell rings FAQ
How many championships did Bill Russell win?
Eleven, all with the Boston Celtics, in 13 seasons. His title years are 1957, 1959 to 1966, 1968 and 1969. The 1959 to 1966 stretch is eight straight titles. Sam Jones is next on the all time list with 10.
How many rings did Bill Russell win as a player and as a coach?
Eleven in total: nine under coach Red Auerbach (1957, 1959 to 1966) and two as a player coach (1968, 1969). Russell played on all 11 teams. He was the first Black head coach in the NBA.
In which seasons did Bill Russell not win a ring?
Two: 1957-58 and 1966-67. In 1958 Russell sprained his ankle in Game 3 of the Finals, and the Celtics lost to the St. Louis Hawks 4-2. In 1967 they lost to Philadelphia 4-1 in the Eastern Division Finals.
Did Bill Russell ever win Finals MVP?
No. The NBA did not name a Finals MVP until 1969, Russell’s last season. Jerry West of the losing Lakers won it. The league named the award after Russell in 2009. He won five regular season MVP awards.
Did Bill Russell win every Game 7?
Yes. Russell played in 10 Game 7s and Boston won all of them. Five were in the NBA Finals and five in the Eastern Division Finals. The closest was a 110-109 win over Philadelphia on April 15, 1965.
Sources
- Basketball-Reference: Bill Russell career page, plus the Celtics franchise page and Russell coaching page (game logs, playoff series, honors)
- NBA.com: Bill Russell legends profile, season reviews from 1956-57 to 1968-69, and the August 11, 2022 release on retiring number 6
- StatsCrew and StatMuse: Celtics game by game results, Finals series scores, clinching game stat lines
- ESPN: list of players with the most championships; Finals MVP award renamed for Russell (AP, February 2009)
- Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: Bill Russell player page
- AP and CBS Sports: Russell obituary and career numbers (July 31, 2022), number 6 retirement report (August 11, 2022)
- Bill Russell featured photo: Unknown author, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Last verified: October 7, 2026.
