The NBA’s Original GOAT

By Frank W. Gillespie | Posted 1 year ago
The NBA’s Original GOAT

Boston Celtics’ legend Bill Russell was a pioneering force in the NBA and a tenacious champion for social justice. Russell dominated the league from 1956-1969, winning 11 titles with the Celtics over the course of his distinguished 13-year career. The 11 championships place Russell at the upper echelon of American sports history.

 

Russell, a Hall of Fame player and personality, passed away on Sunday, July 31.  

 

The cause of death has not yet been determined, but initial reports indicate that Russell died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family. The icon was 88.

 

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s statement about Russell’s passing speaks volumes. 

 

“Bill Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports,” Silver said. “The countless accolades that he earned for his storied career with the Boston Celtics–including a record 11 championships and five MVP awards–only begin to tell the story of Bill’s immense impact on our league and broader society.

 

“Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps. Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.”

 

After his storied career, Russell broke a major color barrier when Red Auerbach hired him to coach the Celtics starting in the 1966-67 season. Russell became the first Black coach in NBA history. 

 

Boston was eliminated by Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia squad in Russell’s first season as player-coach, but he learned quickly. The Celtics defeated the Lakers in the Finals in 1968 and 1969, the final two rings to slide onto Russell’s giant, powerful fingers. 

 

Silver closed by saying, “For nearly 35 years since Bill completed his trailblazing career as the league’s first Black head coach, we were fortunate to see him at every major NBA event, including the NBA Finals, where he presented the Bill Russell Trophy to the Finals MVP.

 

“I cherished my friendship with Bill and was thrilled when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I often called him basketball’s Babe Ruth for how he transcended time. Bill was the ultimate winner and consummate teammate, and his influence on the NBA will be felt forever. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Jeannine, his family and his many friends.”

 

Russell possessed a winner’s mindset, exhibited tremendous work ethic, and was relentless in pursuit of justice.

 

He won the national championship twice with the University of San Francisco (USF), was captain of the 1956 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, and won a total of 11 championships with the Celtics as a player and a coach. Russell is also a published author, several times over. 

 

The 6-foot-10 Louisiana native marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and publicly supported Muhammad Ali’s opposition to the Vietnam War. Despite living and working on a big stage in a city that he once referred to as a “flea market of racism,” Russell railed against segregation in Boston’s public school system. He fought for justice. 

 

As a result, Russell was frequently the target of hateful speech and behavior, and his home was often vandalized.

 

 

Despite the relative unpopularity of his position, Russell did not back down an inch. The resistance only made him stand taller, speak more loudly. 

 

Russell averaged 15.1 PPG, an astonishing 22.5 RPG, and 4.3 APG over the course of 963 regular season games. A 12-time NBA All-Star, Russell won the MVP award five times and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975. When Russell was inducted into the HOF, Auerbach called him “the single most devastating force in the history of the game.”  

 

In a 1980 poll of basketball writers, Russell was voted the greatest player in NBA history. Russell is still in the NBA GOAT conversation to this day, in the company of Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.

 

In terms of NBA titles, Russell has won more rings than any two players on that elite list combined. None except for Russell has won as a coach.

 

Bill Russell lived a candid extraordinary life.    

 

 

Russell has made a lasting impression on the sport of basketball, and has imprinted his signature on the ever-evolving fabric of our society. The big man is most likely making the Afterlife a better place as we speak, smoking a victory cigar with his old coach and friend Red Auerbach. 

 

Celebrities and athletes paid tribute:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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