HipHopWired Featured Video Source: MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images / Getty The sports world is mourning as news broke that Bill Russell, the pioneering center who was the backbone of the NBA’s Boston Celtics dynasty in the 1950s and 1960s and a champion for civil rights, has passed away. On Sunday (July 31st), the family of the basketball icon broke the news via his official Twitter account that he had passed with his wife, Jeannine, at his side at the age of 88. His family gave no further details. Born on Feb. 12th, 1934, William Felton Russell spent his early years in Monroe, Louisiana, before he and his family relocated to Oakland, California. Drawn to sports in high school, Russell would excel at basketball with his hard-nosed and high-flying defensive style at the ...