Position : centre of attention
Bill Russell was a wonderful participant . When polled in 1980 , the ProBasketballWriters ' Association of America distinguish him " the Greatest Player in the account of the NBA , " better thanWilt Chamberlain , Elgin Baylor , Oscar Robertson , or Bob Cousy . But Russell was n’t expectant in the obvious categories , such as shooting and marking .
He made only 44 percent of his field - goal attempts for his career , and he was that exact only because most of his attempts were from point - white range . At the free - stroke line of reasoning , he was a mechanically skillful mess , nigh as bad as his bitter contender , Chamberlain . When the left - handed Russell took design at the basket from the outside , opponents implored him to shoot . Invariably , he would miss .
Shot - block , rebounding , and overall defense were Russell ’s specialties . He had springy peg – he high jumped 6'10 " in college – and pursued the ball unrelentingly , five time leading the NBA in rebounds per secret plan . His efforts on the boards keyed theBostonCeltics ' vaunted fastbreak . He was a player who could dominate a game without marking .
Russell averaged 15.1 points over 13 NBA seasons , all with the Celtics . His career high was 18.9 points during the 1961 - 1962 season , the same year Chamberlain averaged 50.4 . But while Wilt dominated statistically that twelvemonth , winning the scoring and bounce championships , Russell get ahead the Most Valuable Player Award – back in the day when the option was made by a vote of the players – and moderate his squad to the NBA championship . It was bring home the bacon that imposing Russell from the other great . Frank Deford , the renownedsportswriter , anticipate Russell " the very epitome of ability and victory in sport . "
Russell ( hold February 12 , 1934 ) was a classic late - bloomer . Nothing he did as a tike in Monroe , Louisiana , and in Oakland – where his kinsperson moved when he was nine – suggested that he might become a professional athlete . Young Bill was scrawny and awkward . He grew to 6'2 " by age 15 but acquit only 130 pounds of tegument and bones .
A raw right field - hander , he shift to using his left paw at the urging of an uncle , who sense left-hander had an vantage inbaseballand probably would in basketball . Russell never scored more than 14 points in a secret plan at McClymonds High in Oakland .
Russell took the only eruditeness that was offered to him , by the University ofSan Francisco , and there he senesce physically and attain stardom , result the Dons to an NCAA - record 55 successive victory and back - to - back home championships in 1955 and 1956 . Those teams also featured safety K.C. Jones , another succeeding Celtics bang-up . Russell ’s success in college was survey by a gold - medal effort at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne .
Surprisingly , Russell was n’t the first extract in the 1956 draft . The Rochester Royals take Sihugo Green , a guard from Duquesne . St. Louis , beak second , traded its stance to the Celtics for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan . The Hawks would gain the NBA patronage in 1958 and Hagan would have an owing career , but in the recollective execute the Celtics amaze the good of the quite a little – by far .
With the 6'10 " Russell at center , the Celtics were a most unstoppable force , bring home the bacon 11 patronage during his tenure , include the last two with him doubling as musician and coach . The first deed of conveyance come in 1957 , Russell ’s rookie time of year . Boston lose to the Hawks the next season – in the first place because Russell suffer an ankle injury in Game 3 of the Finals – then won eight championships in sequence .
Russell ’s battle with Chamberlain were legendary . They meet 142 time , with Russell averaging 23.7 point in time and 14.5 rebounds , compared with 28.7 points and 28.7 rebound for Wilt . But in the court of public legal opinion , Russell well-nigh always bring home the bacon . He was the linchpin of the most successful franchise in professional basketball history .
The Celtics miss their crown to Chamberlain and the Sixers in 1967 , Russell ’s first year as actor / bus , but reclaimed it in 1968 . They won again in 1969 in a scandalous turnover of the Lakers . In Game 7 , Russell played all 48 instant and had 21 recoil . It was his last secret plan . His knees wracked by arthritis and with nothing allow to prove , he announced his retirement afterward that summer at age 35 . The Celtics fell to 6th place the following season , 26 game back of theNew YorkKnicks .
Russell captured 21,620 rebounds during his calling , second only to Chamberlain ’s total . In 10 of his 13 seasons , he averaged more than 20 rebounds . In a game against Syracuse in 1960 , he grabbed 51 . And he once had 32 card in one one-half , an NBA record . Records of blocked shots were n’t keep until the 1970 ’s , but former referee Earl Strom estimated that Russell blocked 8 - 10 shot a game for most of his calling .
Upon retirement , Russell play around in acting and broadcast medium . He also coach theSeattleSuperSonics for four seasons and the Sacramento Kings for one . Russell compose two autobiographies : Second jazz and Go Up For Glory . He was elect to the Hall of Fame in 1974 .
