The Passing of NBA Legend Bill Russell

Russ: The sports world lost a legend. Bill Russell—William Felton Russell for any of y’all looking to impress your friends—was one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time.

John: Shoot, for the most part, on the list of many as worthy of that top 5.

Russ: You’re right. And, by the way, this man was on a team that won eight straight championships. That has the possibility of never happening again. Just way too much player movement.

Patrick: And it’s trippy, too, because I was thinking about the Bulls’ run during the 90s, and thinking they could’ve had that eight straight years…but something could’ve easily gone wrong. If we think about it, the Bulls didn’t sweep any team in the Finals, which isn’t that horrible considering the supposedbest team from the West stands in the way.

Donald: True. And the thing about Russell is that he was a model of a player out there on the floor. He kept it simple, but extremely dominant. He reminds me of Dennis Rodman; snatching boards and blocking shots; on occasion, dunking on the entire other team!

Russ: That’s funny…and true.

John: So a lil’ background on him. He was born in 1934 in West Monroe, Louisiana. He didn’t dominate as he grew into himself, but he kept at it until he arrived at the only college to give him a scholarship: University of San Francisco, which he led to two straight NCAA championships before winning a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics. Drafted by the Boston Celtics, the 6-foot-10- inch center changed the game with his fast-break offense that moved rebound balls back upcourt to his teammates. His defensive play helped the Celtics win not only eight champi- onships in a row, but, also, 11 championships in 13 years—

Donald: And two were as a player-coach!

Russ: Mr. Russell wasn't afraid of standing up for himself and his race and those who believed in fairness and equality amongst all people. He was alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his "I Have a Dream" speech and Muhammad Ali when he resisted the draft. And, remember, he’s in Boston, what’s considered one of the most racist cities out there. Also, before I forget, he was the first Black NBA coach, so that’s one other thing to add to Bill’s legend.

Donald: Also, he was an ambassador to the NBA, teaching such stars as Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and even Michael Jordan on how to be on the court as well as off.

John: Bill Russell’s impact will forever be felt because of how it impacted the NBA prior to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. He made defense a value-point and paved the way for taking pride in playing on a team, a.k.a. Celtic Pride.

Patrick: In recent days, fellas, since hearing about Bill Russell’s passing, I’ve been watching a lot of his old clips, and I must say he was pretty friggin’ good. He battled Wilt Chamberlain and the best thing about what I saw is that the two of them challenged one another. They battled without all of that complaining about every call, no ill-intentioned elbows—at least not often.

Donald: I agree, sir. Let these young folks—players and nonplayers alike — understand what’s really going on. Man up. Be yourself…but do that with Bill Russell’s legacy in mind.

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