Marilyn Nault and Bill Russell? The Friendship That Took Decades to Become Love

Marilyn Nault was Bill Russell’s third wife. Her story is part of his life beyond the basketball court. It includes her own roots, their years as friends, and the words he used to remember her.

To get to know Marilyn, it helps to start with her own life. She had a family, a job, and a home before she became Russell’s wife. The records that remain give us small but useful views of the woman he loved.

Marilyn Nault’s Life Before Bill Russell

Marilyn was born in Concordia, Kansas, on January 15, 1950. Her parents were Quentin and Helen Nault. She went to Catholic grade school and high school in her hometown. Her death notice also named four brothers: Phil, Kyle, James, and Eric.

After high school, she moved to Seattle. She worked in jewelry sales. Those facts place work and family at the start of her story. Her link to a sports star came later.

The death notice gives no reason for her move. It does show that her adult life began with a new home and a job.

The Famous Man She Came to Know

By the time their paths crossed, Bill Russell had built a huge name in sports. He played for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1969. He won 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons. He also won five league MVP awards. MVP means Most Valuable Player.

Russell helped change coaching, too. From 1966 to 1969, he was both a player and the Celtics’ head coach. He became the NBA’s first Black head coach. Later, he coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 1973 to 1977. That job brought his working life to Seattle.

His fame reached beyond the game. He spoke out against racism and stood up for equal rights. His life held great wins and hard struggles.

He had other interests, too. A profile from EBSCO lists reading, music, and model trains among them. It also notes his sharp wit and loud laugh. A person seen as fierce on the court could have many other sides. This helps explain why scores alone give such a small view of him.

Russell had faced loss long before meeting Marilyn. His mother died when he was 12. He grew up in a family that faced racism. These were parts of his life before fame and before the couple’s paths crossed.

A Meeting in a Jewelry Store

Frank Deford told the start of their story in a May 1999 profile for Sports Illustrated. Russell met Marilyn in a jewelry store soon after coming to Seattle in 1973. She worked there.

They stayed friends for more than two decades, through his second marriage and the years that followed.

That order matters. Meeting, falling in love, and getting married were steps that took place at different times.

The Help That Brought Them Closer

Deford wrote that Russell’s secretary died in 1995. Marilyn offered to help with his work and accounts. Their long friendship then grew into love.

The report links this change to her offer of help. It gives their love story a clear turning point.

Why Friendship Mattered to Russell

Friendship was a subject Russell spoke about in other parts of his life. In 2009, he discussed his book Red and Me. It was about his long bond with Celtics coach Red Auerbach.

In that talk, Russell recalled how Auerbach listened to his ideas early in his career. He valued a coach who could hear a player’s view. Both men had a role. Both cared about what helped the team.

He said the coach was willing to admit that he did not know it all. Auerbach could take in new ideas without feeling that his role was at risk. Russell felt free to speak and still let the coach do his job. Their bond lasted for 50 years.

His words offer a useful way to think about close bonds. Each person needs room to speak. Each can bring a strength the other does not have. This was a view of trust that he chose to share with readers.

Russell said he wrote the book to honor Auerbach and the coach’s two daughters. Sharing a friend’s story was one way he chose to keep that bond in view after the friend was gone.

Games, Humor, and Time Together

The 1999 profile also noted that Marilyn’s skill as a keen dominoes player impressed Russell.

Years later, Russell recalled promising Marilyn’s father that he would make her laugh each day.

Her death notice recalled her quick wit. That means she could think of a clever or funny reply fast. It also praised her giving nature. Those words describe traits her loved ones wanted people to remember.

A shared game or joke needs no crowd. We can all grasp that part of a couple’s life. The small moments people share may feel far more personal than a prize or a public speech.

When Did Marilyn Nault Marry Bill Russell?

Marilyn became Russell’s third wife. However, sources give different wedding years:

• Her 2009 death notice gives February 17, 2000.

• A CNN fact sheet, published by WRAL, gives 1996.

The two dates do not match. A marriage record would help settle the gap. Until then, it helps to say which source gives each date.

These accounts leave the exact length of their marriage unclear.

Their Place in a Larger Family

Russell had three children with his first wife, Rose Swisher. Their names were William Jr., Jacob, and Karen. Marilyn joined a family with a long past of its own.

Rose and Bill were married from 1956 to 1973. His second wife was Dorothy Anstett, and that marriage lasted from 1977 to 1980. These dates help place his long friendship with Marilyn in the wider course of his life.

His daughter Karen became a lawyer. She is one of the family members whose work and public words appear in accounts of his life.

Travel Was Part of Their Shared Life

The AmoMama article about Russell’s marriages says Marilyn and Bill traveled in the United States and abroad. Their shared life took them beyond the city where they first met.

Deford added one clear detail in 1999. By then, they had driven across the country and back twice.

Trips are one part of their life that both the profile and later accounts record.

A Firsthand Memory From 2008

One person who met the couple left a clear memory. Barry Scheck, a co-founder of the Innocence Project, spent time with Bill and Marilyn at a meeting in Hawaii in 2008.

Scheck had read Russell’s book Second Wind and was a big fan. He recalled dinners, events, and funny stories. He also remembered how freely Russell gave his time and answered questions. Some stories later appeared in Red and Me.

Scheck also recalled advice and words of support. He wrote that he still valued them years later. His memory gives us a view of Russell as someone who gave his time to a person he had just met.

His account places Marilyn beside Bill at a real event late in their marriage. It gives us a witness, a place, and a year. Those details help us move from a broad life story to a moment someone could recall.

Scheck wrote his tribute in 2022. His memory of that weekend had stayed with him for years.

Marilyn Nault’s Death in 2009

Marilyn died on January 21, 2009, at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. She was 59. Her death notice remembered her humor and giving spirit.

An Associated Press report published by ESPN said she had died of cancer. It appeared when Russell received a major honor the next month.

The honor came just weeks after her death. It was a time of praise for his work and grief in his home life. His words at the event brought those two sides together.

His Words About His “Special Person”

In February 2009, the NBA named its Finals MVP award after Russell. The honor linked his name to the prize given to the best player in each NBA Finals.

At the event, he said: “I just lost my special person.” He called the award bittersweet. That means it brought both joy and sadness.

The prize first began in 1969. Jerry West, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers, won that first award.

He also thanked the men who had played with him. He said the prize was for his team, which included his coach and teammates. In one speech, he spoke of those who helped shape his career and the loss of his wife.

Marilyn and Jeannine Were Different People

Marilyn’s name also appears in stories about Russell’s death. The AmoMama article covers more than one wife, so it helps to keep their names clear.

Marilyn died in 2009. Russell later married Jeannine. She was the wife beside him when he died in 2022 at age 88. Marilyn nault and Jeannine were different people, each part of a different stage of his life.

A Scholarship That Carried Her Name

Russell spoke about Marilyn again in a 2013 interview about his life. The Library of Congress keeps the written record. In it, he recalled visiting Boston with his late wife. He then spoke about something the Red Sox had done.

He said the team had named a scholarship for Boston children after her. A scholarship gives help with the cost of study. It was called the Marilyn Nault Russell Scholarship. He said the tribute pleased him and called Marilyn his good friend.

That last detail gives the story a fitting link to its start. Years after her death, friendship was still a word he used for her. A title such as “wife” could explain their family link. “Friend” helped him describe the bond itself.

His account links Marilyn nault name with help for children in Boston.

Final Thoughts

Marilyn Nault’s story includes work, family, love, and loss. The records offer different views: a news profile, a family death notice, a guest’s memory, and Bill Russell own words. Each adds a piece to the picture.

Together, they give her story more depth than a wedding date alone. The years they shared matter. So do the words he chose after her death. When Russell called Marilyn his friend, he named a part of their bond that had lasted across the years.