Bill Russell
(Born 1934)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1975
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Hall of Fame
Position: C
Height: 6’10”
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Bill Russell is considered by many to be the greatest winner in the history of team sports. His Boston Celtics teams won eleven NBA championships in thirteen years. Although there were other Hall of Fame players on the Celtics, Russell was the glue that held those teams together. Bill was an unselfish player who did whatever was needed to help his team win.
Russell was perhaps the best defensive center to ever play the game. Although he could have easily scored more, Russell focused on defending the rim, swatting away numerous shots by his opponents before stats were kept on blocked shots. Bill was a fantastic rebounder and he also tallied many assists as he led his teams to victory. His battles against Wilt Chamberlain, another one of the top basketball players in NBA history, are legendary.
Awards and Honors
- Russell teamed with K.C. Jones to lead the University of San Francisco Dons to 56 consecutive wins and NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956.
- Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to eleven NBA championships in 13 years including a record eight consecutive championships from 1959-1966.
- Russell won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award five times, in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1965. Bill has said that 1962 was his favorite MVP Award because that was the year that Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 points per game and Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double, and yet Russell was still selected as the MVP.
- Bill was an All-Star twelve consecutive times from 1958-1969. In 1963 he was selected the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
- Russell was named to the NBA’s 25th, 35th, and 50th anniversary teams.
Points of Interest
- Bill was a member of the USA Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal in Australia in 1956. Also on that team was fellow Hall of Famer and University of San Francisco teammate K.C. Jones.
- Celtics Coach and General Manager Red Auerbach traded future Hall of Famers Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to the St. Louis Hawks for Bill Russell in 1956. The trade led to one NBA Championship for the Hawks in 1958 but set the Celtics up to be a basketball dynasty for years to come.
- Russell led the NBA in total rebounds four times and in rebounds per game five times. He ended his career with an average of 22.44 rebounds per game, second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 22.89 rpg. The next closest career rebounder is Bob Pettit with 16.22 rpg.
- Although Bill is considered the greatest player on the Celtics championship teams, he did have help. Other Hall of Famers that played on the Celtics with Russell include Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Frank Ramsey, and John Havlicek.
- Russell’s Celtics teams were 16-2 in playoff elimination games and 10-0 when the series reached a decisive Game 7.
- Bill Russell was the first African American inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975. He was, and remains today, one of the greatest civil rights advocates in the history of America.
Statistics
Bill Russell Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com