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1. Bill Russell

1. Bill Russell

Despite the high amount of Hall of Famers that the Boston Celtics had and how many championships that they won; you would think that there would be a glut of top considerations for the spot of the best of Celtic of all-time.

There is only one man it could be, and that man is Bill Russell.

After his great career at the University of San Francisco where he took them to two NCAA Championships, Boston Celtics Head Coach, Red Auerbach engineered a draft-day trade to get him.  He gave up Cliff Hagen, who hadn't yet suited up for Boston as he was performing his military duty, which at the time seemed like a lot to get a Center who preferred defense first.  With all due respect to Hagen, who turned out to be a pretty good player, it turned out to be a steal.

Bill Russell is without question the greatest defensive player of all-time, he is also considered by many to be the BEST ever basketball player period!  Russell was the literal centerpiece that the Celtics dynasty was built around and his ability to run the floor and block shots out of nowhere transformed the game.  Other than his rookie season, he was named to the All-Star Game, and the only reason he was snubbed is that he arrived late that year due to his U.S. Olympic commitment.  He may not have been a great scorer, but 15.1 Points per Game is nothing to sneeze at, especially when it is complemented by that sick 22.5 Rebounds per Game Average.

Now while it can be argued that Russell was only a three-time First Team All-NBA Selection because of Wilt Chamberlain, many look back and think many more should have gone to Big Bill.  It was Russell who made his teammates better, it was Russell who won the titles, and it was Russell who wanted it more.

When it was all said and done, Bill Russell retired as an 11-time champion, five-time rebounding champion and a five-time MVP.  The more important the game, the better he was, and there is no more deserving man for the NBA Finals MVP to be named after.  While he can be criticized for how he abruptly quit after the 1968/69 without telling anyone which made the Celtics have to scramble for a new Center and Head Coach, there is no doubt that the positives dwarf the bad, so much so, that any negative probably should never have been mentioned.

We are sorry that we did!

Russell entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot (1975), and his number 6 was retired by the team three years earlier.  Following his death in 2022, the NBA retired his number unilaterally throughout the league.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Center
  • Acquired: Traded from the St. Louis Hawks for Cliff Hagen and Ed Macauley 4/30/56.
  • Departed: Retired after the 1968/69 Season.
  • Games Played: 963
  • Per Game Averages: 42.3 MP
    N/A eFG%*
    .561 FT%
    15.1 PTS
    22.5 RB
    4.3 AST
    N/A STL*
    N/A BLK*

    165 Playoff Games
    45.4 MP
    N/A eFG%*
    .603 FT%
    16.2 PTS
    24.9 RB
    4.7 AST
    N/A STL*
    N/A BLK*

    *eFG, Steals, and Blocks were not statistics when Russell played.
  • Advanced Stats: 18.9 PER
    .471 TS%
    N/A VORP**
    163.5 WS

    165 Playoff Games
    19.4 PER
    .474 TS%
    N/A VORP**
    27.8 WS

    **VORP was not a statistic when Russell played.
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    NBA Champion (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968 & 1969)
    MVP (1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965)
    The Sporting News MVP (1961, 1962, 1963 & 1965)
    First Team All-NBA (1959, 1963 & 1965)
    Second Team All-NBA (1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967 & 1968)
    All-Defensive First Team (1969)
    All-Star (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 & 1969)
    All-Star Game MVP (1963)
    Most Minutes Played (1958-59 & 1964-65)
    Most Rebounds (1957-58, 1958-59, 1963-64 & 1964-65)
    Most Minutes per Game (1958-59)
    Most Rebounds per Game (1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1963-64 & 1964-65)
    Most Defensive Win Shares (1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1966-67 & 1968-69)

     

More in this category: 2. Larry Bird »

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