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Celtics Legend Bill Russell Released From Hospital After Dehydration Issues

NBA legend Bill Russell was reportedly hospitalized for for dehydration.

Charlotte Carroll

Paul Marotta/Getty Images

NBA legend Bill Russell was hospitalized for for dehydration Friday and left Saturday, he confirmed on Twitter.

The news was first reported TMZ Sports who said an ambulance was called to Russell's Seattle home Friday night. According to the site, he was experiencing "heart trouble and shortness of breath."

Russell joked with the news in his tweet, saying "as my wife likes to remind me, I don't drink enough," and "as most my friends know I don't have a heart to give me trouble."

Russell, 84, is an 11-time champion and five-time NBA MVP with the Celtics.

Off the court, he has been one of the leading advocates for civil rights in the sports world, including his support for Muhammad Ali after he refused induction into the U.S. Army and his participation in the 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr. During the 1950s and 1960s, Russell regularly spoke out against racial injustice, despite backlash from white Boston residents. 

Last year, Russell posted a photo of himself that went viral taking a knee in support of NFL players protesting. He tweeted another photo of himself shortly before the Cavs and Celtics squared off in Game 3 on Saturday, appearing to be in good spirits.

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Charlotte Carroll
CHARLOTTE CARROLL

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