Bill Russell: The Measure of Greatness
In any basketball circle, thread, blog, conversation, or whatever, more than any other sport inevitably the subject of who’s the GOAT will come up. Usually, it depends on the era you were baptized into loving the game of basketball that will determine your unequivocal allegiance to a player. Lebron, Kobe, Jordan, Magic, or Russell. Many argue for stats or wins or championships. All worthy criteria. But really the factor that is least able to be quantifiably measured, yet probably carries more weight than any of the others, is impact. Yesterday, William “Bill” Russell passed away at the age of 88. His impact on not only the game, but the world in which we live is undeniably one of the greatest of any athlete of any sport.
Russell accumulated stats comparable to any of the greats in the sport. But, he’s known as the champions champion, Leading his Boston Celtics to 11 NBA Championships, tied only with his a teammate from that span. Bill Russell epitomized winning, having a year in 1956 that will probably never be matched. In his final season of college basketball at the University of San Francisco, Russell led his team to winning their second consecutive NCAA championship, he then was captain of Team USA that went on to win the Gold Medal at the Summer Olympics and finished out the year winning his first NBA Championship as a rookie. Again, beyond all the records and achievements, his impact on and off the court is what will never be surpassed.
There’s an old saying ‘you can tell the size of a ship by the waves it leaves behind. The waves of Bill Russell are still washing over players to this day. On the court, the NCAA made several rule changes directly related to Russell's play. He changed the way defense was played ushering in a modern era of defensive strategy. He became the first Black Head Coach in the NBA, succeeding his coach Red Aurbach. In 2009, the NBA Finals MVP award was named after Russell.
But it was his character and fortitude that was his greatest attribute. Regularly enduring racism from the media and fans in Boston, he channeled most of his anger and frustration onto the court. While he was known to sometimes be testy during interviews, he always maintained his composure and never had any major altercations. Even during the well-documented vandalism of his home, where intruders broke in, destroyed several trophies and awards, graffitied the walls, and defecated in his bed. Despite his hurt, he never lashed out in any way.
To the contrary, Russell used his treatment to fuel his fight for justice. He organized a protest when he and other Black players on the Celtics were denied service during a road trip to Kentucky. They refused to play in the game and returned to Boston instead. He helped organize the press conference and brought other Black athletes together to support Muhamad Ali in his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. He was the original athlete to use his platform to speak out against social issues and bring them into the spotlight. A pattern that many athletes today credit to him for paving the way. In response to the news of his death President Barack Obama, who awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 for his career and work during the civil rights movement, said “Today, we lost a giant. As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher—both as a player and as a person.” The impact Bill Russell had is one that will last and continue to inspire generations to come.