NBA Career of Bill Russell

[100sickness]

he played with noobs back then

[beatlejim64]

Championships in 1957...1959...1960...1961...19­62...1963...1964...1965...1966­...1968...1969...

next question...the best!!!

[travis264]

Defense wins championships

[elurseeknay]

wilt would ask officials his rebound total throughout the game, when his teammates shot, he would grab the ball out of the air for an extra rebound. he played the game the wrong way. a better talent than russell, a worse player

[ir10031981]

even Michael Jordan should be amazed! Bill Russell, 11x NBA champion! MJ eat your heart out.

[sergio71995]

Number 1 ring holder a ring for each finger and one for his son

[althepyro]

look how much bettter NBA was back then

[Dizturbedz]

with todays rules the 1st 4-5 blocks would've all been fouls

[garioldwin]

@Dizturbedz Yes thats why todays nba sucks , its much easier to score today .

[TheKasabot]

11 rings...

[CashOnDemand2012]

Greatest player ever

[GreenFrankenstein]

@Amoraklin2 why you got to hate on wade you sorry piece of shit

[job1785]

@Theerraticguy I'm not saying that Wilt Chamberlain was better than Bill Russell at all. I think they were both equally great. They both revolutionized the game. But also when Chamberlain was on the 76ers he finally became a team player because he averaged almost 8 assists per game the year they won the championship during the 66-67 season and they beat the boston celtics to get there.

[BNS224]

@job1785 I hear ya.Wilt gets a bad rap. To start Wilt's 76ers were not as good as Russell's C's. Also in 68 vs BOS in the ECF, PHI lost 2 starters and their 6th man due to injuries. In 69 finals, Wilt was playing on a hurt knee which he blew out in 70. In the 70 finals, when W Frazier had his great game 7, West was playing hurt. In 71, for the playoffs both West and Baylor were DNP Unfortunately, Wilt gets all the blame. Put MJ on those 60's 76ers they get beat even worse than w/ Wilt.

[job1785]

@Theerraticguy I don't think Wilt would have done that because Red Auerbach would have wanted him to pass the ball more.

[Amoraklin2]

I cant believe it, black people actually play ball like human beings back in the days unlike today we got hairless chimpanzzees and baboons like Lebron James and Dwayne Wade.

[xRedFoo209x]

damn he won 11 rings.THe celtics title total is 17 then he got mostly half of it.one word "AMAZING"

[masonkim7]

he played 13 seasons and won 11 championship titles.

Nuff fucking said.

Greatest competitor in basketball of ALL TIME.

[job1785]

To be honest i think Wilt Chamberlain was underrated compared to Bill Russell because everyone is saying that he is great because he had 11 rings. He had 11 rings because he had a great team around him. He had the best supporting cast of all time. It was like one all star after another coming off the bench. Wilt Chamberlain had a few very good players around him. All Bill Russell had to do mostly was play defense and rebound while Wilt Chamberlain had to do everything.

[tabbrown45]

@job1785 not true wilt was very selfish he wouldnt pass much but when he did he won championships....wilt will forever be the greatest scorer in the history of the nba(not in total points but by individual scoring) and Russel will be the greatest team player ever.

[beatlejim64]

11 titles in 13 years...he beat Wilt...West...Baylor..Robertso­n...LaRussa...Pettit...'nuff said...

[FatBeatsHipHop]

white man with a blunt sounds like a pimp

[professorlip]

1:31

If the Hawks had not traded away Russell's draft rights then we would probably be talking about that franchise as arguably the most successful in NBA history. A front line of prime Russell and Bob Pettit would have been like having David Robinson and Tim Duncan in together in their prime. They would have dominated. The Hawks were the team that actually gave Russell's Celtics the most trouble in the playoffs during his early years.

[usc11champs]

Russell-11

MJ-6

Kobe-5

Shaq-4

LeBron-0

[GuitarCaliburx]

@usc11champs russel has 10...

[GuitarCaliburx]

@usc11champs never mind

[pretyboymoney]

oh yeah n chamberlain only has 1 finals mvp n 2 rings lmaoooo

[pretyboymoney]

chamberlain also played 5 yrs wit a prime elgin baylor n a little past his prime jerry west

[pretyboymoney]

chamberlain was stat obsessed russell was winning obsessed n is da greatest defensive force of any era n brought ALL the intangibles,why do u think he held wilt chamberlain 21 points below his season average wen dey met inda finals da yr chamberlain averaged 50 for da season,chamberlain cuda been better den russell but he jus wasnt as commited to everything russell was commited to

[MyCockIsNotForYou]

Bill Russel played in a really waterd down era

[HymanKaplan]

Historically he was great, one of the best ever no doubt. As a player he was a great defender with no offensive game. Does anybody actually believe he was better than let's say Alonzo Mourning? He was 6'9 and 210, that's almost like T-Mac. Shaq or Hakeem would murder him 1on1.

[PacquiaoEPO]

@HymanKaplan

True.

But in 50 years time, you'll probably be arguing that Kobe Bryant was actually not much better than the college players of 2061!

He dominated his era. That's all you can do.

Kobe and Jordan dominated theres. But the game moves on. In 2060, there games would be nowhere near enough to keep up with the best players of that time.

The human spirit is designed to strive for greatness. Constant improvements in all sports

[KiLLUMiNATi419]

Shaq Duncan Hakeem Howard Wilt Kareem KG Barkley Dirk Malone Ewing D.Robinson and many others would off destroyed him all jokes aside. I'll get Joel Anthony on him!!!!

[Delorieux49]

@KiLLUMiNATi419 That made NO Sense

[KiLLUMiNATi419]

@Delorieux49 O i made extremely hella sense, BR was just OVERRATED and in any other era hes like a joel anthony

[pachendrix]

@KiLLUMiNATi419 The thing is that like it or not, thats his era, the one he dominated like no other athlete has ever done in the history of sports. So until someone else does what he did in only 13 seasons, everyone else(except Jordan), has to sit back and ask permission to talk when talking about Bill Russell. And Russell overrated? Not even the greatest ever, Jordan, came remotely close to accomplish what Russell did. So go do some research before saying Russell is "overrated".

[KiLLUMiNATi419]

@pachendrix here even a better one for you bro.. Name the top 25 greatest players from his era???? dont name me a bunch of joel anthonys ok... played 13 seasons 15.1 shot 44% and Whatttt only 14,522 career point are you insane bro.. thats Joel anthony and Mbenga level play there if you were to put them in the 1950's and 60's.............

[pachendrix]

@KiLLUMiNATi419 Again, thats his era. What did you wanted him to do? Time travel to the 80's/90's to prove you he's probably the best center to ever step on the basketball court? Nobody dominated like him in his time, the closest was Chamberlain, and there were great players like Jerry West. Yet, he managed to be the best, 13 years, 11 championships all by himself, thats all I need to know. Would he be that great if he played now? Maybe not, but unfortunately for you, thats not the case.

[KiLLUMiNATi419]

@pachendrix yea prolly best center ever if hes being guarded by joel anthony's but no way in hell BR best center ever. Not even closeeee. Maybe top 100 somewhere in the 50's - 70's..

[PacquiaoEPO]

@KiLLUMiNATi419

Well, Wilt didn't. He had 13 seasons to "dominate" him, and rarely managed it in one on one games.

As for the others, most of them were playing at least 20 years after the guy retired.

What I'm saying is, in 40 years time, no way will anyone think Dwight Howard, Moses Malone, Dirk, Robinson, or even Jordn could compete with the stars of that year.

The sport moves on. Improves.

All you can do is dominate your era. In 2060, even Jordans game will pale in comparison

[anthparsons1]

Idk about greatest player of all time, but I would safely pin him as the greatest winner of all time. He would throw up before his games .. like that's really intense lol

[Iwinulost]

Well not everybody will agree wid me on this but in every sport there is conflicting views as to who is the best. simply put it, players like bill russel and mj played in different generations and basketball itself was different at both times, so really you cant decide who is the best you can simply state the best players of different generations. But i give credit to Russel for winning 11 rings.

[slimshady1022]

And,

11- 6

[slimshady1022]

No one was as dominant as Bill Russell.

Russell- MJ

[idicula1979]

Can everybody calm it down with Bill Russell is the greatest ever just because he won so many championships, I mean by winning all those championships he certainly did well by himself and his teammates, and you should win a number of championships to be put on that pedestel as the gratest ever. But it should not give you a free pass straight to the top.

[Livinglifehigh]

Russel > Chamberlain

[DBJetsman]

I'm a celtics fan, and I'll tip my hat to Wilt. He was better than Russell, but Russell is AT LEAST top 5. I'd make the list this way:

1. Jordan

2. Chamberlain

3. Russell

4. Bird

5. Abdul-Jabbar

[swali555]

@DBJetsman and just what makes Bird better than Abdul-Jabbar Kareem is the best ever and no one will ever break his scoring record PERIOD.My top 5 is...

1.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

2.Bill Russell

3.Michael Jordan

4.Magic Johnson

5.Larry Bird

[Dnw4pro]

Thats you..mines is more like

1.Larry Bird

2.Michael Jordan

3.Bill Russell

4.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

5.Magic Johnson

[Sovnarkom]

@Dnw4pro Larry Bird. One of the greatest, no doubt. He had the most enviable jump-shot of the 80s and he's arguably the greatest forward in NBA history. But I have to say - the people who claim with confidence that he's the greatest player of all time, period - either have a limited perspective of basketball history or a nascent racism that prevents them from acknowledging the accomplishments of players like Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain

[pats4lifebb]

@gaaraofthelightning why don't you? you commented first, and you cant even spell right, what are you? retarded? maybe your just 5, I can tell you've never been to Boston (prediction, the troll will now claim hes lived there before) Kobe bryant is top 5 in the list of the best crybabys, bitchs and rapists of all time, thats it

[pats4lifebb]

@gaaraofthelightning your wrong, idiot

[W3R4P3STUFF]

We can argue all day about who's the best player in NBA history but no one can dispute the fact that this man was the greatest winner in ANY sport and int he end thats all that really matters

[Dnw4pro]

@W3R4P3STUFF Charlie sheen agrees

[wizboy211]

@gaaraofthelightning all i know is, anyone in the top five (Bird, Magic, MJ, Russell, Jabbar) wouldnt let their team be down in a series 3-0. PEACE OUT.

[Ivantheterrible666]

@gaaraofthelightning Bro? BRO? lol, god, you're a fucking idiot. You believe whatever hype that comes your way. Tell me, what's a pick? What's a zone? What does it mean to box out? What does it mean to belly up, chase the screen or shoot the gap?

[gjpyoung]

True Celtic, and the greatest!

[Treemeslave]

oh my god, imagine if bill russell played against kareem

that would be the greatest series of all time.

you know, besides every 1980's lakers-celtics series.

[zips28]

maan i bet any russell's friend wanted to play with him... must have been frustrating

[rjbaseball21]

@wizboy211 ahhh the jordan fan. just read this

(H.T.T.P. without dots or spaces):// airjudden2 (dot) tripod (dot) com / russell /index (DOT) h t m l

jordan was a great player, by all means. one of the best. but no way in hell he was the best. but i don't have enough space to prove why bill russell was without question the superior player. just read, and if you can successfully prove otherwise after reading, let me know.

[RichieEastside]

"...he had an erotic need to win" only Heinsohn would be idiot enough to say something like that lol Russell was great, but Tommy Heinsohn is such a big mouth lol

[Slash5469]

@RichieEastside  " He had a neurotic need to win" you moron

[rjbaseball21]

bil russell is hands down the greatest of all time. no doubt in my mind. he was without doubt the best defender of all time, and did what wilt did on the boards and blocking shots, and wilt had 4-5 inches on him. and the whole era difference thing is pure bias. there were like 9 teams then- they were all stacked. before russell, with 4 hall of famers, the celtics weren't even runner up. after he left, didn't make the playoffs. no doubt, the best.

[wizboy211]

@rjbaseball21 second best. jordan was best. no doubt. im not saying russel wasnt a great player, but he played when the nba wasnt as competitive as it is now, he played when thre was 8 teams, most of them white. jordan played when there was 24-30 teams, most black people.

[PRcastro88]

@wizboy211 8 teams means more talent on each of those 8 teams, If your making thaat argument you can also make the argument that Russell played in a more competitive league than MJ.

[soopie1]

@PRcastro88 You can't compare eras like that. You can safely say that Russell was greater winner than Chamberlain and those two were the greatest of their time. Basketball is a team game and WR understood it more than an player before him and we can say after. He succesfully battled over prejudices, and kept his ego at bay in order to win championships, unlike WC. It is a lesson that many "suerstars" of today are yet to learn and grasp that concept. He played inovativelly and chivalristic

[soopie1]

@PRcastro88 unlike now where is all about selfishness and collecting numbers. He could destroy players with defence but didn't, he played enough to win and didn't care to outscore his rivals and that is where he showed his winning nature. But to say the league had more concentration of talent is absurd, league grew organically and talents were found and replaced at steady rate, but less and less teams gained chance to play for title.Just lok at the format e.g. in 1959 where out of 8 teams 6 n PO

[soopie1]

@PRcastro88 and reg.season conference champion played directly in conference finals against team that played 4-7 more games before and on that freshness and homecourt advantage managed to get to finals unlike 80s and 90s where you did not get such big advantage and have to really bleed to finals.It took longer to make championship team and it was harder to stay on top of the league.And that is why MJ is considered greater.Just look how many stars don't have ring because of MJ(Ewing,Miller,...)

[onn1320]

@rjbaseball21

If the era thing is bias - Then do you believe that a play like say....Shaq wouldn't have 11 rings if he played on that Celtics team in that era?

[rjbaseball21]

@onn1320 it can't be known, because shaq never played in that era. but personally, i think no. shaq would have just become another wilt chamberlain- basically a scoring machine, dominant post force player. yes, he would have won, but not like russell did. he would have turned out like wilt, as i said.the whole reason the celtics won was russell. look at the only constant in all of those rings- russell. all he wanted was to win, and no player ever parallels that will to win. not shaq, not anyone.

[onn1320]

@rjbaseball21

LOL. Where you been? I gave up on an answer - that was months ago.

[onn1320]

@rjbaseball21

But anyway - different League different players - too much has changed to compare a time when Russell played to a time when Shaq played. Not just players, but the whole League set up. I personally think Russell would be like Rodman if he played in today's game and not dominate the League like he did back then, but again - no way to tell.

[BooGiMayn71]

boring

[falcons2k81]

Naw chamberlain wass

[thegoldenhero]

Hakeem was the most talented center

[dring4]

if any1 thinks that russell wasnt a better player than chamberlain, read The Basketball Book By Bill Simmons. it presents a strong case as to why russell is better. or you could read any other book by a player that played with or against them. even his teamate, jerry west said that chamberlain was to concerned with stats and not enough of a team player to be better. also, because blocks wernt counted back then we have no way of knowing, but players of his era believ that he couldv had 8-10 bpg

[wizboy211]

@dring4 ive been trying to get people to read it. its such a great book and bill simmons does an excellent job with the final debate of russel/wilt

[natarts892000]

@dring4 it is like lebron and kobe... kobe is better because lebron is just for stats

[PacquiaoEPO]

@dring4

Russell had much better intangibles. By that I mean

1: leadership

2: Will to win

3: Clutch ability

But it's an impossible argument to say Bill Russell was better at playing basketball than Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt not only matched and surpassed Russell on the defensive side of the game (just) but he also averaged 30 points a game!

Truth is, Wilt was relied upon to both win games on defense, and offense.

Russell had plenty of other guys doing the scoring

[PacquiaoEPO]

@dring4

You're basically saying that often the intangibles are more important than stats, and you're right.

[AxonMoses]

@dring4

You do realize Bill SImmons is an immensely biased Celtic homer, right?

[ForrestGump716]

@dring4 Long ass book... best I've ever read

[Goldkingchess]

Bill Russell is best winningest college SF led won 60 streak plus won 11 rings NBA than anybody in the world

[ACelloFella]

This is the real GOAT, not Jordan.

[Rostick]

to be world champions u have to play against teams from all around the world and not only canada and usa...

[Ivantheterrible666]

@Rostick lol the rest of the world is terrible.

[adizzle82]

nice video...Russell's shot blocking is pretty amazing. Definately one of my top 20 players of all time.

[Ivantheterrible666]

@adizzle82 Top 20? He's my 2nd greatest. Top 20? Top 20? I think you should study your history a little more... That's about as naive as saying Kobe is a top 5

[johnsianojohn]

@Ivantheterrible666 Kobe is like top 2 you dumbass.

[Ivantheterrible666]

@johnsianojohn Wow.. nice comment tool. Sheepish much? Baaaaahahah? Sounds like a sheep to me.

[MaxCheesy]

is he better than michael jordan

[Vlurqe]

Wilt=Best Offense

Russel=Best Defense

Cant we just agree on this fact plzzzz

[Paragon231]

@Vlurqe

Hakeem was a better defender than Russell, sorry but it's true

[Vlurqe]

@Paragon231 to each his own yoooo

[dring4]

@Paragon231 THAT IS COMPLETELY FALSE! blocks werent counted until 1973 so we have no way of knowing, but players who played with him believed that he couldve had 8-10 bpg (yes, 8-10) read the book of basketball by Bill simmons and youll realize just how good he was. Tommy Heinson (bball HoFer and teammate of him) believed that he couldve effected 40 points of the other team not only by blocking shots, but by forcing teams to shoot outside in an era wen the best shooters were shooting around 40%

[pdm0910]

the way he blocks shots is just freaking amazing. volleyball blocks are good fun, but check out how bill blocks the shot AND steers the wayward ball in his hands at the same time.

[BoierMofleasiVoda]

Fuck Kobe vs Lebron , Wilt vs Bill is the greatest rivality

[SixFootEightTao]

@BoierMofleasiVoda u cant spell

[AdreasTheGreat]

@BoierMofleasiVoda THERE ARE MANY GREAT RIVALTIES

WEST-OSCAR,REED-COWENS,JABBAR-­MOSES,BIRD-MAGIC,HAKEEM-SHAQ-E­WING...KOBE AND LEBRON HAVE N'T PLAY IN FINALS BY NOW SO THEY ARE VERY LOW

[CyrusTab]

@the99drill Ya, and for a white kid!

[socsci22]

yes its a matter of winning or losing

[Vstrat0]

You''ll have to find somethin else to do. THAT... won't work."

AWESOME and I'm a Wilt guy

[TheBostonCeltics4Eva]

Best center in nba history. PERIOD. No, not wilt, kareem, hakeem, or even shaq. Bill russell

[SixFootEightTao]

@TheBostonCeltics4Eva shaq is the best PERIOD. nobody could stop shaq

[EndOfFame]

its all about the suns and CELTICS

[metalkrush77]

i am the ultimate celtic hater, but i have to admit that bill russell by far is the best player ever to play basketball. what he did physically, mentally, and professionally is nothing but pure greatness. to bad the lakers always had to fell victim the wrath of his leadership, but i have to say what made bill russell the greatest, becuase he was great man and the ultimate team player. my dad, even until today,says centers today are glad bill russell ain't their opponent.

[vj1fan]

@metalkrush77 you said it all, i agree 100% percent, Bill Russell is definitely one of the best Centers to ever play the game called basketball and will always be a legacy in his own right and this is coming from a Laker fan, too.

[mike34r3455]

@vj1fan Not even close when compared to Kareem.

[FU2Curly]

russell was and still is the best to ever play basketball - PERIOD! show me any one else with 10 fingers of rings...and one for the toe. End of argument...

[SixFootEightTao]

@FU2Curly yo was u even old enough to watch russell play and rings dont mean u are better it just mean u were on a good team. robert horry has like 8 rings and he sucks

[FU2Curly]

@SixFootEightTao 1957... boyhood idol. so yeah. i have seen. and seeing is believing.

[KiPwnNubs]

bill can rebound and defense...wilt can rebound and offense..but overall bill is better than wilt because he led the team to 11 championship. wilt only led 2

[SamuelMoralesJr]

@KiPwnNubs Bill Russell was a better defensive player than Wilt period. Russell came through when the game was close. He would defend other players when others couldn't such as Elgin Baylor in the 1962 finals game 7. He scored 30 points, and got 40 rebounds in the same game. Russell was a superior team player as he played team defense, he wasn't just a good "on-the-ball" defensive player. He played full defense. He was also clutch. He often outplayed Wilt Chamberlain in close games.

[pdm0910]

amen. bill: 11 rings, wilt:2. the stilt cant hold a candle to russell

[rakabaraka]

@pdm0910

DJ MBenga got 2 rings, Dwight Howard 0

So he is better?

[pdm0910]

@rakabaraka yes. the exact same way sasha vujacic is better than john stockton. retard.

[dake8523]

@pdm0910 sasha was not the best player and the leader of his team...russel was

[localboi25]

@rakabaraka Haha well Robert Horry has 7:) But horry earned those rings more so yeah;)

[dethkrush]

wilt chamberlain still kicked his ass in the 1960's

[ehlomint]

Wilt kicked a lot of ass back then but how many championships?

[WiltatKansas]

Two championships actually, how many won Charles Barkley, Karl Malone & John Stockton? Jerry West, Oscar Robertson only won a championship during their careers, Wilt won 2.

[metalkrush77]

@WiltatKansas at least they won one, then none.