NBA: One For The Toe
Written by playerpress.com, Friday May 08 2009
While you were sloshing down too many cervezas on Cinco De Mayo and honoring that ancient Mexican tradition of one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor, did it run through your alcohol addled head for even a moment that May 5 is also the 40th anniversary of Bill Russell winning his 11th NBA Championship?
Even sober that is a staggering number of titles especially since he accomplished it in 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics. Until the invention of Michael Jordon many considered Russell that greatest player ever in NBA history and if you stop to compare trophies there is still room for argument,
If Russell has been placed on earth solely to stop Wilt Chamberlain he would have been a runaway success, but he went further than that. While Russell lacked Wilt the Stilt’s tools he more than made up for it with grit, tenacity, defensive prowess and intellect. Knowing he lacked the skills of Chamberlain Russell compensated by nullifying his foes advantage. It is an age old adage that offense wins games while defense wins championships. Russell used his defensive prowess to deny, defy, frustrate and inevitably defeat the more talented Chamberlain.
The intellect needed to mount that strategy served him off court in ways that often frustrated the staid, stodgy Boston franchise. Russell spoke his mind on issues beyond basketball. The NBA was not what it is when he donned the undersized shorts that were part of his ‘60’s uniform. Civil rights were advancing as slowly in the Association as they were through the rest of the country. Russell, Chamberlain, Connie Hawkins, Clyde Frazier were kings on the court, but once in civilian dress they were subject to the same mentality that caused bus boycotts and lunch counter sit ins.
Boston had a nasty history of race relations and the 60’s were particularly turbulent. Anti busing riots and neighborhood segregation were the themes of the day and Russell knew that while judged for wearing green on the court the color of his skin was a dividing line when he left the Boston Garden. Not only was he aware of that fact, he spoke of it bluntly and honestly. Oftentimes he expressed his opinions in a way that upset his franchise who wanted to keep him quiet and compliant.
However, like his defensive skill, his world view displayed his intellect and the brain power he had allowed him to rise to positions that blacks had previously never seen in professional sports. In 1967 the Summer of Love saw Bill Russell become the first African American to become a head coach in US professional sports. Even more remarkable was that he was a player coach. It turns out he was actually Red Auerbach’s fourth choice, but luckily he could see through the cigar smoke and chose the right man for the job; even if by default.
Russell accepted the challenge of coaching the team the same way he did facing Chamberlain, he won out. After leaving the game as a player he tried to coach the Seattle Sonics, but it didn’t work out to his satisfaction. The game was changing and so were players. They didn’t react as positively to his team oriented approach as he had hoped.
The game may have changed, but one thing remains indelible. Russell still holds more titles than anyone. Like his defense against Wilt, it may prove to be unbeatable.
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4 comments
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I'll be honest I didn't even think about it. Bill Russell is one of those names (Like MJ) that right now, you can't put anybody else's name on the list. Maybe MAYBE Phil Jackson, but he is a coach. Russell is the greatest LEADER of all time and let's face it... Like Cris Carter only caught touchdowns... Bill Russell Only Won Rings.
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i wanted to ask, i'm not sure i get the title to this article...what am i missing?
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ya know, i'm just now watching Rome is Burning (A show I normally hate) but I happened to see a clip of Rome's interview with Russell this morning. In that interview, Russell actually interrupted Rome to ask him not to introduce him as a Hall of Famer, but instead as the former captain of the Celtics as that title means more to him than any other he's held in his life. Russell is such a class act, when the finals mvp award was changed to his name h is first reaction was to say that it was more of a team award as it it hadn't been for the guys around him he never would have been anything. I somehow doubt that to be true, lol, but the man absolutely embodies everything you would ever want a professional athlete to be. He is everything that present day pro athletes should strive to be. With all the athletes knocking up everything that moves, getting arrested, and acting in a childish manner both on and off the court, the world could use more like Bill Russell.
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way to turn back the clock man, good stuff.