On July 31st, the game of basketball lost a legend in Bill Russell, who passed away at the age of 88. Russell played at McClymonds High School in Oakland, California before playing four years at the University of San Francisco (1953-56). After leading the Dons to two national championships in 1955 and 1956, Russell was selected with the number two overall pick by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1956 NBA Draft. Russell was then traded to the Boston Celtics for six-time All-Star Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan, who was yet to play an NBA game due to military service. The rest as they say is history:
Russell won 11 NBA championships with the Celtics to go along with five NBA MVPs, 12 All-Star game appearances, four rebounding championships, and various All-NBA honors. Russell also won his last two NBA championships as player-coach, which only enhances his already godly state in the game.
Russell is basketball royalty and as such has become the first player to have his number retired by the entire NBA. Once all the current players who wear the number 6 (e.g. LeBron James) retire or switch their numbers, the number 6 will no longer be worn by another NBA player again. This is what happened with Jackie Robinson in major league baseball. The final player to wear the number 42 was Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, who wore the number at the time major league baseball retired Robinson's number league-wide. Rivera was allowed to keep his number 42 until he retired after the 2013 season.
When talking about the greatest basketball players of all-time, Russell is frequently mentioned right at the top along with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson. If I were to create my own "Mount Rushmore" of basketball players it would include those three players along with Russell.
The reason why Russell makes the list is the fact that he won more NBA championships than any other player in league history. He won an NBA championship in 84.6% of the 13 seasons he played. That's insane. What made Russell so prolific in his winning is the fact that he truly put his team above everything else. He didn't care about personal stats. He cared about doing whatever his team needed him to do. He was willing to do the dirty work: Rebound, block shots, and make plays for others. When you combine that kind of mentality with a player who was as gifted as Russell, you get the kind of championship productivity that he had.
On top of being a phenomenal basketball player, Russell was a phenomenal person. He was a civil rights activist and was a major force for good in the African-American community. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2011, celebrating his contributions and legacy.
When looking back on the life and legacy of Bill Russell, it's clear that he's left an impact that will never be matched by anyone else to ever play or coach the game of basketball. While that can be said of many of the all-time greats, Russell truly left a special and enduring mark on the game that will be felt for generations to come. By having his number 6 retired by the NBA, his flame will flicker forever as a symbol of what it means to be a champion and more importantly, what greatness really is.
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