Bill Russell was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969.
Russell never had a season in which he averaged more than 19.0 points per game; as a result of his dominant defensive play, many people consider him to be one of the best basketball players of all time, despite the fact that he was not particularly effective on offense.
His ability to block shots and play man-to-man defense, combined with his height of 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 meters) and his arm span of 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 meters), were significant contributors to the dominance that the Celtics enjoyed in the NBA throughout his career.
Russell is still ranked second all-time in both total rebounds and rebounds per game, despite the fact that he led the NBA in rebounds four times, had a dozen consecutive seasons with 1,000 or more rebounds and was the first player in the NBA history to lead the league in rebounds four times. Russell was also notable for his ability to grab offensive rebounds.
Only one other NBA player, Wilt Chamberlain, has ever collected more than 50 rebounds in a single game; he is one of those two guys. He is one of the most notable rivals in the league.
Bill Russell’s Rings: Did Bill Russell Win 8 Rings in a Row?
With the Celtics, Bill Russell won a total of 11 titles, including an incredible eight straight from 1959 to 1966.
Russell is and always will be the ultimate team-first man, but it seems like a pretty critical detail to gloss over the fact that we do not know the actual number of titles he won during the first 40 years of his retirement.
