He epitomizes innovation, teamwork and leadership. Now Bill Russell—winner of 11 championships as a player and coach of the Boston Celtics and five-time NBA MVP—shares his secrets in Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership from the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner. Dutton launched the book with an 80,000-copy first printing on May 7, when Russell signed more than 900 books at two events in Boston. Since then he's done signings in New York City and Philadelphia, where the SRO crowds have begun lining up as early as 5 a.m. The tour continues through this month in an additional 15 cities. According to Dutton publicity director Lisa Johnson, one reason Russell's fans have been thronging his appearances is the fact that throughout his career (and even after it), he's never before signed autographs. Key stops along the publicity trail have been Russell's appearances on NPR's Fresh Air, Imus in the Morning and with Charlie Rose. He's also been on CNN, and an AP feature has just gone out over the wires.
With reporting by Dick Donahue.
