Bill Russell is selling his house and leaves next owner an autographed basketball

A longtime NBA veteran is selling his longtime home that he’s lived in for almost 50 years. Bill Russell, 11-time NBA Champion will list his estate on Mercer Island for $2.6 Million.

Russell has maintained his privacy at the house since 1974 when he was offered his eventual 4-year head coaching job with the Seattle Supersonics. Russell became the first Black coach of a major professional team in 1966 for Boston.

“I was offered the head coaching job with the Sonics in 1974. When I took the job I was a single parent and chose Mercer Island because it had the best schools in the Pacific Northwest,” Russell told the Business Journal by email. “The house was not built for me. I was actually looking at the house next door, but it was not private enough. I not only purchased this house but the two lots above me for the added privacy, and a number of years ago sold them but still maintained my privacy here at the house.”

Russell will be inducted into the hall-of-fame as a coach this September and will be presented by 7 Hall of Famers: Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, Spencer Haywood, Alonzo Mourning, Bill Walton, and Rick Welts.

“I have left behind my trophy case and an autographed ball for the next owner, and I hope they enjoy the home as much as I have over the last almost 50 years,” Russell said. The 87-year-old has done the same in the past with his coveted Celtics earnings and NBA memorabilia. Russell, the most decorated star in NBA history, offered hundreds of items from his personal collection, including trophies, rings, basketballs, jerseys, letters, photos and others. “There are a few pictures I’ll keep for myself, but the rest I will share with the world,” Russell said in a video statement in July.

Russell and his wife Jeannine love and plan to travel far more. “We will be staying in the area, we really appreciate the summers here. They are hard to beat,” he said.