Happy birthday, Bill Russell! You're still the greatest

Bill Russell is 83 years old Sunday. Even if you only have a cursory knowledge of NBA history, you probably know a little bit about him.

His Boston Celtics won 11 NBA championships and made 12 Finals in his 13 seasons, including eight titles in a row from 1959-1966. He has more rings than any superstar in any professional North American sport. He won five MVPs, never lost a Game 7 and basically invented above-the-rim NBA defense. He was also an outspoken social activist in an era where athletes (especially African-Americans) were expected to be silent.

There’s lots of ways to illustrate Russell’s awesomeness, but this tidbit from the great Bob Ryan sums it up well:

Bill Russell 21-0 in winner-take-all games: All NCAA games, Olympic medal round, best-of-5s, best of 7s. Greatest resume of anyone. Period.
— Bob Ryan (@GlobeBobRyan) February 12, 2017

At the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast, we put out a 13-part #RussellMania series last year looking at all different aspects of Russell’s career and legacy. If you’d like to learn about the greatest winner in NBA history, it’s a good place to start.

Rich Kraetsch and I went over the highlights of Russell’s career, his unparalleled success on the court as well as his statistical achievements.

Yago Colas joined us to discuss one of the famous rivalries in sports: Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain, the myths of the rivalry, why people felt they had to choose between the two, racial ramifications, the much-hyped first game between the two, Wilt’s playoff failures and the lasting legacy of their battles.

Curtis Harris of Pro Hoops History joined us to talk about the Celtics coming through again and again in clutch moments, how much better were the Celtics defensively compared to the rest of the NBA, how the Celtics compared to other NBA dynasties such as the 1980s Lakers, the 1990s Bulls and the 2000s Spurs, which Celtics team was the best of the 11 champs, Red Auerbach’s strengths as a coach and GM.

Shawn Fury joined us to talk about how Russell reshaped the NBA with his defense in the 1950s and 1960s, how the Celtics led a rise in fast-break offense and pace throughout the NBA, how Russell cleared the way for other black superstars such as Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, and about some the jump shooting pioneers in basketball history including Joe Fulks, Bill Sharman, Sam Jones, Hal Greer, Frank Selvy and Kenny Sailors.

Adam Criblez appeared on the program to discuss the rivalry between the Celtics and the St. Louis Hawks in the late 1950s and early 1960s, their NBA Finals battles from 1957, 1958, 1960 and 1961, some of the great performances and players on both sides of the rivalry, and one of the greatest Game 7s in NBA history.

Bijan C. Bayne appeared on the show to discuss the seven NBA Finals battles (1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969), between the Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, Elgin Baylor’s revolutionary influence on offensive play, the basketball and social parallels of Russell and Baylor, and how Baylor was the first NBA player to boycott a game because of segregation.

We discussed Russell’s childhood, college career, life off the court, post-playing career and his extensive civil rights activism with Dr. Aram Goudsouzian, author of “King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution,” including the significance of him rejecting the Harlem Globetrotters and blazing a trail for black NBA superstars, how he dealt with racism among fans and media members, speaking out against NBA quotas of black players, visiting Mississippi during the Freedom Summer in 1964, and his views on Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

We look at the the 1950s and 1960s playoff battles between the Boston Celtics and Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers), how Dolph Schayes was a bridge between the old game and the new, how the Nationals-Celtics rivalry was fierce even before Russell joined the team, how Russell’s defense affected the Nats’ play (especially Johnny “Red” Kerr), and how close the Nationals came to beating the Celtics in 1959.

We talked about the 1950s and 1960s playoff battles between the Celtics and Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors. We discuss the 1956 champion Warriors led by Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston (the last NBA champion before the Russell era), Chamberlain bursting into the NBA scene in 1960, Chamberlain and Tom Heinsohn getting into a melee, Sam Jones constantly riling Wilt up, Russell defending Red Auerbach from an angry Chamberlain, and the Warriors’ move from Philadelphia to San Francisco.

We looked at the Celtics’ playoff battles with Oscar Robertson and the Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings) in the mid-1960s, Robertson’s brilliance beyond simply his legendary triple-double season, how he smashed the record books, how the Royals were an example of some of the bush-league aspects of the 1960s NBA, and the relationship between Robertson and Russell.

We dove into the Celtics’ playoff battles with Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half of the 1960s, Philly fans adjusting to cheering a hated former Syracuse Nationals rival, the trade to bring Chamberlain back home, how the Sixers built a 67-win team that dethroned the Celtics, and how the aging Celtics returned fire with victories in 1968 and 1969.

We talk about the Celtics’ playoff battles with the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons in the late 1960s, how the Celtics adjusted to old age, how the Knicks rebuilt after nearly a decade of struggles, how the overlooked Pistons found success with Dave Bing, and John Havlicek becoming the Celtics’ best player.

We wrapped up the #RussellMania series by sharing stories of Russell’s interactions with his teammates, including Frank Ramsey, John Havlicek, Tommy Heinsohn, and Bob Cousy, and talk about Russell and his USF teammates touring Alcatraz, the Jones Boys riling up Wilt Chamberlain, Russell’s early interactions with Red Auerbach, Russell’s reactions to getting a statue in Boston, and what Russell said to a big-time gambler who approached him about fixing an NBA game.

Happy birthday, Bill Russell! You’re still the greatest

By Jason Mann | Feb 12, 2017

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