Bill Russell
The greatest champion in NBA history, Bill Russell basically was the Boston Celtics throughout his playing career, which lasted from his rookie season in 1956-57 to his final year in 1968-69.
During those 13 seasons, Russell established himself as one of the greatest defenders in basketball history while making 12 All-Star teams, winning four rebounding titles, earning MVP five times, and collecting a record 11 NBA championships.
Russell spent his entire career in Boston and was a pioneer both on and off the floor before making the Hall of Fame in 1975. He also served as a player-coach for Boston and became the first Black coach in NBA history, as well as the first Black coach to win a championship. In 2011, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama for his accomplishments as a basketball player and his work in the civil rights movement.
Russell died on July 31, 2002, at 88 years old.
- Birthday: Feb. 12, 1934
- Died: July 31, 2022
- Birthplace: Monroe, Louisiana
- Listed height: 6-foot-10
- Listed weight: 215 pounds
- High school: McClymonds High School (Oakland, California)
- College: San Francisco (1953-56)
- NBA draft: Round 1, Pick No. 2 in the 1956 NBA Draft
- NBA team: Boston Celtics
- NBA position: Center
- NBA number: No. 6
- NBA playing career: 1956-69
Larry Bird or Bill Russell: Who came in at No. 1 on our list of top 10 Boston Celtics players of all time?
Is the Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson rivalry bigger than Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell?
The number 6 jersey has no shortage of icons.
Bill Russell once referred to one of his former Boston Celtics teammates as the best all-around player he ever saw.
Some say Wilt Chamberlain was a selfish basketball player. Bill Russell weighed in after his Boston Celtics defeated Chamberlain's 76ers in the 1966 playoffs.
Wilt Chamberlain led the LA Lakers to a championship in 1972, playing the series-clinching Game 5 with a broken wrist.
While Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain more than held their own on the court, they needed some help off it when playing cards.
After further review, Wilt Chamberlain should be considered the GOAT of the NBA.
Wilt Chamberlain put up the best numbers of his Hall of Fame career during the 1961-62 season and somehow didn't win MVP.
John Havlicek once explained the biggest difference between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.
