He is recognized by the NBA as one of the greatest players of all time He also became the first black coach of an NBA team, winning two championships in three years. For his feats, Russell was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, declared "Greatest Player in the History of the NBA" by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America in 1980 and became part of the inaugural National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2006.
Winners start early
Born in Monroe, Louisiana, the 6-foot 9-inch tall Russell played at McClymonds High School. He also played college basketball at the University of San Francisco.
He became famous for his strong defense and his blocking skills, once denying 13 shots in a single game. For his college career, Russell averaged 20.7 points per game and 20.3 rebounds per game. Russell was then offered a place in the legendary Harlem Globetrotters basketball squad after college. However, when owner Abe Saperstein would only talk with Russell's coach, Russell declined signing, saying that if Saperstein was too smart to talk to him, he was too smart to play for Saperstein.
Olympics beckons
Prior to his NBA rookie year, Russell was the captain of the U.S. national basketball team that competed at the 1956 Olympic tournament. Russell had the option to skip the Olympics and fully concentrate on the Celtics, but pointed out that he really wanted to compete in the Olympics; he stated that he would have participated in the high jump if he had been snubbed by the basketball team. Russell helped the national team win the gold medal in Melbourne.
A Dream Realized
In the 1956 NBA Draft, Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach had set his sights on Russell, thinking his defensive toughness and rebounding prowess. However, the chances of getting Russell seemed slim. Because the Celtics had finished second in the season before, and the worst teams have the highest draft picks, the Celtics slipped too low in the draft order to pick Russell; in addition, Auerbach used his territorial pick to get talented forward Tom Heinsohn. But Auerbach knew that the Rochester Royals, who owned the first draft pick, already had a talented young rebounder in Maurice Stokes and were unwilling to pay Russell the $25,000 signing bonus he was asking for. The St. Louis Hawks, who owned the second pick, originally drafted Russell, but were vying for Celtics center Ed Macauley, a six-time All-Star who had roots in St. Louis. Auerbach agreed to trade Macauley if they gave up Russell instead, and after the Celtics additionally gave up rookie Cliff Hagan, the Hawks made the trade.
In the first year, the 1956-57 NBA season, Russell could not join the Celtics until December, because he was on the road with the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic basketball team. .
Time to hang my boots
Russell had his No. 6 jersey retired by the Celtics in 1972, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975. After retiring as a player, Russell also tried his hand in coaching. He coached the Seattle Supersonics (1973 to 1977) and Sacramento Kings (1987 to 1988). His time as a coach was lackluster. Russell also wrote books, usually written as a joint project with a professional writer. After spending several years outside the public eye, he rose to prominence again in January 2006, when he convinced Miami Heat superstar center Shaquille O'Neal to bury the hatchet with fellow NBA superstar and former Los Angeles Lakers team mate Kobe Bryant Later that year, on November 17, 2006, the two-time NCAA winner Russell was recognized for his impact on college basketball as a member of the founding class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was one of five, along with John Wooden, Oscar Robertson, Dean Smith and Dr. James Naismith, selected to represent the inaugural class.
Pulkit Singh
BA (Journalism)
