Bill Russell, who died at 88 on Sunday, was a true giant with no jump shot.

I remember as a kid rooting for the Celtics and Bill Russell, who taught a lot of people about the value of defense in basketball. I think that’s why Dean Smith’s teams resonated with me.

When defensive specialist Russell was underneath, no matter if Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson or Jerry West had the ball, Russell was going to protect the rim or influence the shot, which gave the other Celtics cover when they didn’t score on their end.

But two season-ending games, in my mind, made Russell bigger than even his 11 NBA championships: the day after Red Auerbach retired and named Russell his successor, the first Black head coach in the history of American professional sports; and the night Russell coached his last game for the Celtics for his second straight NBA title.

The photo is legendary. The 5-foot-10 balding and Jewish Auerbach embracing the 6-10 goateed Russell in a picture that speaks a thousand words about equality and teamwork.

But Russell wasn’t done being in iconic photographs. Whenever there was a racial injustice controversy, he was there with Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and even activists like Malcolm X who supported violence and the Black Panthers.

To Russell, friendship was his most important word. He did not take it likely. Frank Deford, the legendary writer for Sports Illustrated and other publications, wanted to do an in-depth piece on Russell, following him around to practice and games.

Russell agreed with one codicil: that Deford had to go home with him, be with him in the morning and through his day away from basketball. Russell said that was the only way they could truly get to know each other.

And Russell also had a fierce sense of pride and humor, especially when it came to his accomplishments that included 5 NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and 12 NBA All-Star Game nods. During a round of golf with Michael Jordan while the Bulls were in their NBA title run, Jordan said to Russell, “You know we’re coming after your record.” Russell’s face lit up. “Which one?” he said to MJ.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Bill Chaplis

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