There have been many great players in the history of the NBA. There have been a few elite ones as well. And, there were a precious few phenomenal ones to be sure. In my opinion, the greatest player in the history of the NBA was the legendary Bill Russell. He revolutionized the game itself, and captivated an entire generation.
William Felton Russell was born on February 12 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana. Early on in his life, Bill Russell was introduced to the harsh oppression of racism. For example, in one instance, he was sitting in the front seat of the family automobile, when he witnessed his beloved father being denied service at a local gasoline station until every one of the white customers were tended to first. And all because of his father's skin color. And to make matters even worse, when his father calmly attempted to drive away to another station, the owner ran out screaming and cursing, then shoved a shot gun in the father's face, while threatening to kill him unless he backed the car up and waited his turn.
In yet another instance, Bill's wonderful mother was walking down the city street wearing a beautiful dress when the big bellied sheriff stopped her and had the audacity to say, "I'll dare you to wear White woman's clothing! Now get on home, and never wear that again or I'll have you arrested." Bill never forgot the haunting image of seeing his mom sit at the kitchen table with tears running down her cheeks as she struggled emotionally to comprehend this "unwarranted viciousness". Deplorable instances such as these had a profound impact upon the young boy, and left a very bitter taste in his mouth.
In a valiant attempt to escape the never ending racism, Bill's father saved up enough money, and eventually moved the family to Oakland, California in 1942. The family struggled to make ends meet, and Bill spent the remainder of his childhood residing in the projects. The constant financial strains unfortunately caused his parents to separate. And, soon afterward, Bill's mother passed away from all the stress. It seemed at that point that the weight of the entire world had come down upon the young man.
Then, things began to take a turn for the better. That's because Bill began to excel at basketball. First, he made the junior varsity team. Shortly thereafter, he was all-state as a senior at McClymonds High School in Oakland. In fact, he became such an unbelievably dominant player, that he merited a full athletic scholarship to the University of California at San Francisco in 1952. It was one of his proudest moments.
During his junior and senior years, San Francisco won back to back NCAA titles with Bill playing center. That is something they had never done before, and have not come close to doing since. Bill Russell dominated the center position like nobody before him or since, averaging an astonishing 28 points and 29 rebounds per game. Those were unheard of statistics, even by today's standards. Under his outstanding leadership and unprecedented athletic ability, San Francisco would win 55 consecutive games. Once again, they haven't been able to even come close to that type of success since.
Only a month after graduation, Bill Russell played center on the USA Olympic Team. And at the 1956 games in Melbourne, Australia, he was instrumental in helping the Americans to an undefeated record and the Gold Medal. Moreover, in the final game, he grabbed 30 rebounds as Team USA obliterated the Soviet Union 99 to 55 in one of the most lopsided scores in the long and profound history of the Olympic Games.
Understandably, Bill Russell was, by far, the most sought after player in the 1956 NBA draft, and the St. Louis Hawks, now the Atlanta Hawks, had the inside track. However, Arnold, "Red" Auerbach, the coach of the Boston Celtics, cleverly traded center Ed Macauley and forward Cliff Hagen to the Hawks for the rights to Russell. It was the best trade the Celtics would ever make, and led directly to the single greatest dynasty in the history of sports.
In 1957, the Boston Celtics would win the NBA World Championship; ironically against the St. Louis Hawks, in a seven game thriller. Then, in 1959, they would win another World Title. This glorious victory would start the, soon to be legendary, Celtics on a championship run that would see them win 8 consecutive NBA World Championships, and an unbelievable 11 in 13 seasons! No other sports franchise in all of recorded history has ever won so many in a row, or so many in such a time span. It was such an awesome display of absolute domination such like the sports world had never seen before.
And, the great Bill Russell was the heart and soul of it all. Without his phenomenal defense, the Boston Celtics never would have won a single championship. He blocked shots and grabbed rebounds like they were going out of style. He displayed unparalleled flare and zeal. Bill would ignite the legendary Celtic fast break by blocking an opponent's shot, snatching the ball right out of mid-air, then firing an outlet pass to Hall-of-Fame point guard, Bob Cousy. Most centers before him, and most all of them since, would block shots by sending the ball flying out of bounds. This does nothing more than allow the opponent to maintain possession of the ball; thus, giving them yet another scoring chance.
Bill Russell was so much smarter than this. He was a student of the game, and it showed. He would not only utilize his unequaled athletic ability to defeat his opponents, he would also use intelligence. There was never anything like him. Bill Russell may well have been the most tactically sound player the game of basketball has ever seen, or will ever see for that matter.
In summation, the legendary and indomitable Bill Russell is an American success story. He is an American hero as well. He overcame tremendous odds, both financially and emotionally, to dominate and revolutionize the game of basketball. In doing so, he captured the imagination of a generation, and left the world with a sense of wonder and amazement.