Bill Russell Hospitalized After Faint Spell During Speech, Should Be OK

Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell is expected to be OK after he was hospitalized Thursday after he felt faint at a corporate speaking event in Lake Tahoe.

The Hall of Fame center collapsed on stage while giving his speech, WCVB-TV’s Scott Isaacs reported, but the Celtics confirmed to him that Russell would be fine and might fly to his Seattle home soon.

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According to ESPN Boston, the 80-year-old was taken off on a stretcher and sent to the hospital as a precaution.

Russell won 11 NBA titles with the Celtics during his playing career and was a five-time league MVP and 12-time All-Star. He recently was on hand to award the NBA Finals MVP trophy, which was renamed in his honor in 2009, to Spurs big man Tim Duncan after Game 5 in San Antonio.