@sosaboy sosa My response was about who was the "Smartest Player", not about the G.O.A.T. Now, I don't know what ur criteria are for G.O.A.T. My criteria are that a Player has to have invented something(s) that are in the toolkit of Players today, otherwise they r just candidates for "BEST"= difference of degree in the statistical labyrinth. Big "O's" inventiveness is in the crossover and double xover(Some YT vids show this. the Fadeway Jumper (as opposed to the Fallaway Jumper--Sihugo Green, Wilt & now Dirk N), Posting a smaller player in the paint (a coaching tactic) Creating the PG position; Walking the ball up past halfcourt and executing set plays from between the Key and the foul line--another coaching tactic (done to perfection by Mark Jackson Ind vs Bulls 1998 ECF; There is a YT video of Red Auerbach ranting and raving about how all these teams are slowing down the game to compete by reducing the victory margin of the Celtics. Before Oscar, "Plays" were just mostly 2 or 3 man weaves. Also shows u that Red wasn't good as people think. Others coaches incorporated Oscar's tactics and Strategies. Oscar inventiveness showed a difference in Kind. Big O is the G.O.A.T. Just look at Steph Curry doing a behind the back xover; Kyrie w/13 different xovers, and etc. Name me a single thing that MJ has done that is in the toolkit of a current NBA Player. Oh wait, I'm wrong that Killer something or other. I have no prob w/MJ being the Best. -difference in degree of skill level. But he is not the Greatest because he has no legacy, Nothing to push the coaching envelope, nothing to push/xpand players IQ/Skill level. This is my Opinion.
5:27 "You really had the upper hand with Wilt didn't you?" "I said, 'Well, I tell you somethin'... if we can win 11 championships in 13 years, we had the upper hand on everybody."
The Greatest Of All Time is an understatement........ This man represent what Winning in life mean. My respect for him is beyond words.... Bill Russell stands head and shoulders above every one else for what he did as an athlete and as an Ambassador of freedom for all who followed in his foot steps...... what more can I say......
i love his last comment if you beat someone that can't play you haven't accomplished anything, no truer words have ever been spoken, i love his laugh its so contagious.
I know it's one of those generational things, but I truly believe that younger people would be stunned if we could have seen Russell in his prime against today's players because the only big man ever even close to him athletically was Hakeem, he would simply crush most of today's players, and I don't think that an old geezer's perspective, just fact. Think about the litany of athletic accomplishments he just rattled off....crazy
I'm pleased to hear his assessment of the Big O. Oscar was my favorite player growing up, and he was generally regarded as the finest overall player in the game then, but gets little attention today. There is a clip out there of Robertson getting just outside that imaginary line with Russell, putting his fadeaway jumper just outside Russell's outstretched hand and hitting nothing but net. It's about 20 seconds long and a thing of beauty.
Greatest Of All Time--Saw him play vs. Wilt as part of NBA doubleheader in the old Madison Square Garden. Some offensive players missed layups because they "thought Russell was there too".
y father taught me about Bill Russel when I was young in the late 50's. He felt Russel was the greatest ever because he did what the team neded and made everybody who played with him Better.
That laugh never changes ! Great guy tells it like it is and doesnt hurt any one when he says it . Back then rebounds were fought for in the paint not a shot from 40 feet and ball comes right to you my opinion and im sticking to it .
No current center had the athletic ability of either Russell or Wilt. Shaq had nowhere the stamina or athleticism of those two guys. Hakeem was the closest because he played soccer which developed his speed and durability.....
Blunt. Matter of fact. There is no one close to him in basketball history. Because of race it didn't matter how much better than the rest he was. And for jealousy it doesn't matter now.
In honor of black history month!!! BILL RUSSELL IS AS INFLUENTIAL IN AFRICAN AMERICAN SOCIETY AS ONE'. MLK' FREDRICK DOUGLAS' MALCOM X' THE G. O. A. T(if you don't know who I'm referring to SHAME ON YOU ) ect, ect , ect , I hope that some day the world can realize the power and influence of sport!!!!! And it's individuals ..... POWER
Confucius of NBA, he brought wisdom to the game ;) His athletic gift from God was only there as a decoy, it was from his very own hard work and understanding of the game that made him so great.
Wilt & Russell were just phenomenal athletes. Obviously the game has changed so much, but these guys, athleticism was far better than Jokic's today. No knock on Jokic, best player in today's NBA.
He thinks Kareem was great. Back around '70 a reporter asked Russell how he would do against (then) Alcindor. To which Russell famously replied, "The question is not how would I do against him. The question is how would he do against me."
Alot of people forget just how good havlicek was.Summons had him as the 14th best player ever in his book.He might have been higher than that.He was good at everything,and he tore the league apart for years after russell left.
0:35 Actually, Bill was ranked #7 in the WORLD shortly prior to the 1956 Olympics - and would have gone in that sport had his status in Basketball due to the signed but NOT YET IMPLEMENTED contract with the Celtics caused him to not be able to go in Basketball.
I didn't know about the athletic side of Russell. All I knew was that he was a winner. I can't imagine what a team containing Russell and Magic would be like. I'll tell you this much, just being athletic doesn't get you 11 championships in 13 years. This is a guy that could take his opponent in to very deep water every time. There is a will power and a focus among other things that people like him and Magic have. They can, with their will, control the momentum of a game. They can see.
@@polpol1005 I never talk like this but just understand that without Russell the Celtics win a fraction of the championships they won during their reign. He's a stone winner.
Let's put it this way. If Wilt Chamberlain went to the Celtics and Bill Russell went to the Lakers, Russell would still have a crap load of rings and Wilt would not have 11 rings. Although, who knows. Red Auerbach was also a stone winner. The point I'm making is Bill Russell was 3 times the winner Wilt was. The thing that makes a player a winner is 90% mental. It's like a killer instinct. I watched those games while I rooted for the Lakers. It wasn't bad luck for the Lakers it was that they were straight up out-willed and Russell was crushing us. He shut down the great Wilt Chamberlain. He controlled the game. In my opinion Russell is the goat.
@@YUHJKT who knows? We can only speculate about what would happened if the roles were switched - Wilt at Boston and Bill at LA. Your description of being a "winner" is quite subjective tho. I never said Lakers had bad luck, they had worse team, if you ask me. Russell wouldn't win no ring if he played in bad team without any superstar around, that's my guess. Having said that, I'm not saying he won just because his super star teammates. It was a combination of everything, superteam, his own leadership and talent etc.
3:21 Not QUITE true - there are a couple narrow records Wilt has, but Bill has ALMOST ALL of the Playoff rebounding records - including almost all of the PER GAME ones - with WIlt a very narrow second.
One word - Innovator!!! Bill was so ahead of his time that it wasn’t funny. What sucks in the infancy of growing the game is that he gets so undervalued but he was a cerebral assassin, bar none. His BBall IQ was on Larry Bird level and I am sure Bird learned from Bill as well. I don’t care if it’s public school, to be the anchor for 11/13, 2 as player coach, and keep the motivation is unrivalled. This is what separates him from the rest. Defence isn’t sexy, and neither is selflessness. I hope the basketball world got everything on tape from this man as there will never be another like him at the centre spot.
Consider this: Russell's final two seasons at USF, his teams win two NCAA championships. Just before heading off to the pros, he plays on the 1956 Olympic team. They win the Gold. Then he goes to Boston and plays 13 years. They win 11 championships. His final tally: 16 potential championships -- and Bill's teams win 14 of them. Should there really be any argument about the best this or that? All this guy did was WIN, WIN, WIN. Case closed.
@@polpol1005 Lucky? Oh, that is baloney! I hate it when people run down Bill by saying he was surrounded by superstars. Did you ever see him play? Russell is the one who made teams "super". How do you account for the fact that he took an average USF team in college & won two straight championships? We're talking the USF Dons here!! Then he took the Celtics, who were good with Cousy & Sharman but were continual also-rans in the NBA, and he ran off several championships before those two retired. They were replaced by the Jones boys (Sam & KC). Neither KC nor forward Tom Sanders could shoot. They were good defensive players. Heinsohn was good but not really great. He got his points by shooting a lot. They added Havlicek in '62 and he developed into a true star. Sam Jones became a great shooter and led the team in scoring. Late in the '60s they added a good, aging power forward, Bailey Howell, and he helped them win rings in '68 and '69. If you take away Russell, all these other players, even the so-called "super" ones like Havlicek and Sam, and the Celtics become average and never win a championship.
Thank-you for uploading this visionaryproject. This is priceless. Who is the woman interviewing Mr. Russell? Please let me know. Her voice sounds familiar.
I agree..He would do mind games against Jordan. If Jordan found it hard against the Pistons with their physcial rough play added with knowledge of the team game. Jordan would find a way to say Bill Rusell and his teams are dirty..hahahaa...MJ didnt like to lose and to have someone like Russell know his opponents and game settings real well would be terrifying for Jordan. Russell mental approach is real high even more than Jordan and Magic..Now Bird mental approach is right there with Bill Russell and Russell definitely know that.
2:34 To be fair, for about half of his career when he WORKED at rebounding, Dennis probably WAS a Top 5 rebounder of all time and had a case IN THOSE YEARS for one of the 3 best ever. The OTHER half of Dennis's career though, he was an OK but nowhere near great at rebounding player.
Russell is always so lighthearted and funny in these interviews, but this is not how he really is. Anybody who lived in Seattle back in the day knew that if you ever saw him anywhere, stay away!! I was boarding a plane at Seatac in the late 90s and Russell was right in front of me on the boarding line. I didn't say a word to him, because I knew.
If I could meet Bill Russell, I would to say I'm sorry for the racism he experienced (heard about via a Bob Cousy video). It is a shame on us as a country but on Boston especially what they tolerated. Nevertheless, Bill Russell rose above it all. He was a Jackie Robinson of basketball. Well done! But I would also like to thank him for being the gentleman he always seemed to be. Bill Russell was always a classy guy whenever and wherever I saw him interviewed. And, he certainly was and is one of the smartest players ever to play the game and comment on it. We ought to call him "the Professor". And mostly, I'd like to thank him for being the incredible player he was. My goodness! Who is the GOAT? Well, Bill Russell has to be way up there in consideration because he did everything well. Most importantly, he did whatever was necessary for his team to win. Who else has so many championships?! Thank you Mr. Russell!
4:43 I disagree - Nate Thurmond would also have had a lot of knowledge on the subject, with how long HE and Wilt overlapped - and Nate had to PRACTICE vs Wilt when they were both on the Warriors. Nate the Great wasn't exactly a slouch as a center - when no less than KAREEM names Nate "the player that guarded me the toughest"....
@@polpol1005 before Russell, Celtics won NOTHING!!! and it took another 5 years to win a titel again. NO, without Russell, no dynasty. He was probably the greatest defender & leader in the NBA and understood perfectly what it needs to win titels.
@@polpol1005 again, they won npthing before him and after his 1st season, they WON. so that means he was the X factor. So yes, he was the most important player. In IF's, im not interested bc im more interested in FACTS. 🤷♂️
@@ericfurst6091 we'll never know what would happen if he was in a team without any other superstars tho. I believe he wouldn't win no ring, that's my point.
0:35 Not quite correct. He WAS ranked #7 in the WORLD at one point during 1956, despite not high jumping at the Olympics that year (one sport limit). He WAS #2 or #3 in the US prior to the Olympics. Had he NOT gotten onto the Basketball team (there was some controversy over him having signed with the Celtics, even though he'd not gotten any pay YET and had not played or practiced with them YET), he WOULD have been on the US Olympic Team as a High Jumper that year. He DID have a TIE with the eventual Olympic Champion of 1956 (Charlie Dumas, as he goes on to mention), in the West Coast Relays as I recall (they were co-champions for that meet) - but 6 other folks had better jumps that year BEFORE the Olympics (where the first OFFICIAL 7' jump happened by Charlie) and that tie was "only" at 6' 9 and a fraction inches (actually was measured METRIC, as that was the Olympic standard).
I have no doubt bill and wilt would have seasons of over 20 rebounds a game in any era if not mores some people saying that they would only average 13 are idiots. smh
Just thought id through make that point,its not a knock on russell he was awesome but he usually had better players around him than jordan,abdul jabbar or wilt did.That 1962 celtics club was so loaded it was cousys last season and havliceks first.That 12 man roster had 8 future hall of famers on it.
Some were in the HOF because they played with the Celtics. Watch the series with the Lakers. Russell gets 40 rebounds and the Celtics barely win in the seventh game.
@@DrJohnnyJ 30 points and 44 rebounds, Bill had the greatest 7th game. He was 10-0 in Game 7s, so the competition was other worldly. MJ was 2-0, Wilt 4-5, Jerry West 1-9.
I honestly think if bill russel was born in the 80 or 90s he would play like lebron today...similar height build and stupid athleticism court vision etc.
+cray 3K He'd be more like a Kawhi or Pippen on the perimeter. But, he would definitely be great at forcing turnovers and running in transition. He would be one of the league's best rim runners, best protectors in the paint, and he would have amazing court vision.
+cray 3K You guys have to remember that he was 6'9" measured barefoot with no embellishment. Nowadays, they measure with shoes and a little fudging. Russell would be about 6'11"-7' by today's measurement- true center height. You can see this by looking at pictures of old Russell next to KG, Duncan, and Howard.
Ray, that is what he was when he played. To say he would be the same player is not saying anything. Remember he was probably one of the tallest players in the league when he played and for his whole basketball career. So to bring him forward he still has to be a big man not average size.
how would he crush todays players? He would be the smallest center in the game and would still would have no offensive game. He would be a role player at best.
He was a pioneer. It's all in the mind. If he was born today he would have all the tools they have now and a superior basketball brain... of course he would dominate
People keep getting hung up on the 6'9" height, but that's a barefoot height without any "fluffing." Look at the pictures of Russell in his 70s in dress shoes next to Howard in basketball shoes. They are the same height, and Howard is listed as 6'11". Or look at him next to Bird, who is also listed at 6'9". There is clearly a 2"+ difference. Russell would probably have been listed at 7' flat today. Plus, he had a 7'4" wingspan. Wilt would have be listed at 7'3" or 7'4", and Russell guarded him well. Besides, watch the videos of Russell playing. On both ends of the floor, he's superior to any center that plays today. He was criticized for scoring ability, but he still had a decent hook shot and very good touch on his fast break layups. Moreover, his speed, court vision, and passing ability right off the rebound would kill on fast paced teams. On defense and rebounding, his game is virtually flawless. He just has a knack for the game- there's no other explanation. Don't get caught up in all the nonsense about weak competition or shorter players (players on average were only 1" shorter than today despite being measured bare foot). Okay, shooting in that era was generally worse aside from a few greats like West. Dribbling was only awkward because of stricter illegal dribble rules. Russell would easily be the best center in the league today. Would he "cruse" players? It depends on what you mean by "crush"
Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Jesus is God in flesh. Jesus is the one true God. We are all sinners and we all fall short of the glory of God. Jesus came to the Earth and died for sins to be washed away so can make it to Heaven. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and the only way to Heaven. U have to do more than just a believe in Jesus to make it to Heaven tho. U have to do the Lord's will. These are the things the word of God told us we have to do be forgiven for our sins, saved, and make it to Heaven. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Repent from your sins. Get baptized in the name of Jesus. Have a deep relationship with Jesus. Love everyone Forgive others Obey God's commandments. Speak the word of God to the world. Do the Lord's will until the end. There is nothing more important than God. This life is jus temporary but Heaven and Hell is forever. Your true purpose in life is to follow Jesus, have a deep relationship with Jesus, walk with Jesus, learn about Jesus, and lead others to Jesus. God has so many commandments it's 613 of them and it's impossible to obey all of them all the time. U are gonna make mistakes and God knows U can't be perfect that's why Jesus came to the Earth and died for our sins to be washed away. God jus wants U to try your hardest to not sins, to obey his commandments, and to do everything he wants U to do and when U do sin he jus wants U to be honest with him and admit to your sins, ask for forgiveness of your sins, and ask Jesus to help U not give into temptation of sins. Hell wasn't meant for us it was meant for Satan and the other fallen angels. Satan decieved the first humans and caused them to sin and the world become corrupt and most humans choose not to follow Jesus. Satan is decieving people and there are so many people heading to Hell. Satan, the fallen angels, evil spirits, and Satan's followers the Illuminati, the richest families in the world and the Free Masons, they all control the world from the governments, the economy, drug trade, Hollywood, movies, TV, radio, news, science community, schools, and even religion and they are lying to U, decieving U, trying to brainwash U, and trying to keep U from the truth. They don't want U to follow Jesus. Those people are Devil worshippers that sold their soul to the Devil for fortune, fame, and power. They promote sin thru movies TV and music, they try to get U disobey God, they don't want U to follow Jesus, they poison your food water and medicine, and they are trying to create a One World Government that Satan will come as the AntiChrist and will rule the world in the last days. And they are gonna try to make U take the mark of the beast on your forehead or forearm and if U take it U will automatically go to Hell. And they are gonna try to kill U. Religion is being used to confuse people. That's why there is so many different religions and there should only one religion and that's Jesus. Christianity is even doing things wrong. It has many different religions inside one religion and they are all making their own interpretations of the Bible instead of going exactly what the word of God says. When Christianity was started the Romans took several books out the original Hebrew Bible. Most churches and preachers don't speak the full truth of the Bible they are presching false doctrines. Most of them also follow the traditions of men instead of obeying God's commandments. They are celebrating the Sabbath on the wrong day Sunday the first day of the week instead of Saturday the last day of the week. They are baptizing people the wrong way in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost instead of in the name of Jesus. And alot of them celebrate false Paegan holidays that are satanic. And U don't have to go to church cause Jesus never commanded us to. jesus set his church up on the rock with his disciples and we are suppose to be disciples of Jesus so the us the followers of Jesus is the real church not a building. Church buildings are jus places U can go to praise God, have a fellowship, and learn the word of God but U can do those things anywhere anytime. It's better to make sure U read the Bible yourself and learn the word of God and make sure the church is going exactly of the word of God. If U Love Jesus then U will obey his commandments. U show Jesus U Love him by your actions. Don't live for the worldly things like money, materialistic things, attention, and other stuff, live for Jesus. Dont follow the world follow Jesus. And Jesus is coming back soon.
Faith in Jesus is the only requirement to be righteous, and good works proceed thereafter. Good works don't get a person into heaven. Faith in Jesus does.
Maybe. But in the case of Bill, winning 11 out of 13 championships , 2 of them leading the Celtics as a player-coach has for sure granted him quite a dose of wisdom. Not to mention what he s done off the court. Period.
5 MVP's, 11NBA championships, 2 NCAA championships, an Olympic Gold Medal, second highest rebounding total and average for his career, one of only 2 guys to get 20K rebounds, got at least 20 rebounds in every postseason game he ever played, and still contributed on the offensive side of the ball, passed well, ran the fast break so well, and could mentally break his opponents. He's so overrated, right? Wrong! One of the all time greats!
Know nothing about nba basketball 🏀 history, should have a giant statue of bill Russell, george Mikan, neil johnston etc etc of these nba basketball legend basketball hall of fame
"I was an athlete who learned how to play basketball."Excellent assessment of Bills skills by Bill. A true legend and a great man.
said that again.
Bill was quite an athlete. Ranked 7th in the world in the HJ, ran a 49.0 440.
"I only block about five percent of their shots. Only thing, they don't know which five percent I'm going to block.". Amazing guy.
"I don't have to block every shot.
I just have to make them THINK I can block every shot".
He is by far the smartest basketball player of all time. He was a winner, like Jordan, like Gretzky.
After Oscar Robertson
@sosaboy sosa My response was about who was the "Smartest Player", not about the G.O.A.T.
Now, I don't know what ur criteria are for G.O.A.T.
My criteria are that a Player has to have invented something(s) that are in the toolkit of Players today, otherwise they r just candidates for "BEST"= difference of degree in the statistical labyrinth.
Big "O's" inventiveness is in the crossover and double xover(Some YT vids show this. the Fadeway Jumper (as opposed to the Fallaway Jumper--Sihugo Green, Wilt & now Dirk N), Posting a smaller player in the paint (a coaching tactic) Creating the PG position; Walking the ball up past halfcourt and executing set plays from between the Key and the foul line--another coaching tactic (done to perfection by Mark Jackson Ind vs Bulls 1998 ECF;
There is a YT video of Red Auerbach ranting and raving about how all these teams are slowing down the game to compete by reducing the victory margin of the Celtics.
Before Oscar, "Plays" were just mostly 2 or 3 man weaves. Also shows u that Red wasn't good as people think. Others coaches incorporated Oscar's tactics and Strategies. Oscar inventiveness showed a difference in Kind. Big O is the G.O.A.T. Just look at Steph Curry doing a behind the back xover; Kyrie w/13 different xovers, and etc.
Name me a single thing that MJ has done that is in the toolkit of a current NBA Player.
Oh wait, I'm wrong that Killer something or other. I have no prob w/MJ being the Best. -difference in degree of skill level. But he is not the Greatest because he has no legacy, Nothing to push the coaching envelope, nothing to push/xpand players IQ/Skill level.
This is my Opinion.
Right!...run to where the basketball is going to be...
He is the smartest player ever..the greatest winner ever...the greatest defenendive player ever...and the second greatest rebounder ever behind wilt
@@anansi1641 No knock on Oscar, but IMO Russell was an arguement with Larry Bird for #1 - and Oscar was at best #3.
5:27 "You really had the upper hand with Wilt didn't you?"
"I said, 'Well, I tell you somethin'... if we can win 11 championships in 13 years, we had the upper hand on everybody."
I could listen to him talk about the game for hours
Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain were highly intelligent players. Just tremendous.
Unbelievable players
the best of all time!
True GOAT of Basketball
The Greatest Of All Time is an understatement........ This man represent what Winning in life mean. My respect for him is beyond words.... Bill Russell stands head and shoulders above every one else for what he did as an athlete and as an Ambassador of freedom for all who followed in his foot steps...... what more can I say......
You can’t have an NBA’s Mount Rushmore without Bill Russell
Bill has more rings than fingers.
@@TheBatugan77 rings are overrated, he was lucky to play in superteam
He made that team super. Boston was nothing until he got there...
Always loved Bill Russell's laugh.
greatest of all time
not really. rings are overrated, he was lucky to play in superteam
THE REAL GOAT!!!
nah
i love his last comment if you beat someone that can't play you haven't accomplished anything, no truer words have ever been spoken, i love his laugh its so contagious.
No kidding.
I know it's one of those generational things, but I truly believe that younger people would be stunned if we could have seen Russell in his prime against today's players because the only big man ever even close to him athletically was Hakeem, he would simply crush most of today's players, and I don't think that an old geezer's perspective, just fact. Think about the litany of athletic accomplishments he just rattled off....crazy
No he wouldnt
@@internetgangster6888 Yes he would crush most of today's players. You may not like it but it's the truth.
@@JKTProductionzIncNCo 😂
I'm pleased to hear his assessment of the Big O. Oscar was my favorite player growing up, and he was generally regarded as the finest overall player in the game then, but gets little attention today. There is a clip out there of Robertson getting just outside that imaginary line with Russell, putting his fadeaway jumper just outside Russell's outstretched hand and hitting nothing but net. It's about 20 seconds long and a thing of beauty.
BILL RUSSELL = LIVING LEGEND!!!!
Greatest Of All Time--Saw him play vs. Wilt as part of NBA doubleheader in the old Madison Square Garden. Some offensive players missed layups because they "thought Russell was there too".
Great story mr dennis
GREAT interview (her mic is a bit hot, though). Anyway - Bill Russell is a great American icon - and has ALWAYS been the center on my all time team !!
Bill isn't kidding: he jumped over a guy like Vince Carter...it's here, look it up
We've gotta appreciate him while we still have him. A legend among legends
11 Championships in 13 years says it ALL. No one comes close.
Bill Russell and Larry Bird, some of the highest basketball IQs in NBA history
Hell yeah. Kobes up there too
y father taught me about Bill Russel when I was young in the late 50's. He felt Russel was the greatest ever because he did what the team neded and made everybody who played with him Better.
Great Man .. true Legend.
I love bill
Wilt was a tremendous high jumper in High School.
he jumped 6’8 at overbrook. high jump
1:18 "I could touch the top of the backboard" that's just an insane vertical leap !
The older he gets, the better he was. He couldn't touch the top of the backboard but he could come close.
@@DrJohnnyJ Chamberlain could!
Wilt was able to high-jump 6' 6". Russell high-jumped 6' 9"!
6:18 GOS FROM LAUGHING TO SERIOUS 100 TO 0 LOL
Lmao cold killer
That laugh never changes ! Great guy tells it like it is and doesnt hurt any one when he says it . Back then rebounds were fought for in the paint not a shot from 40 feet and ball comes right to you my opinion and im sticking to it .
man what charisma,
Lol hes smooth
Mr Robert laconi, played with the great Bill Russell at San Francisco State and was my 7th and 8th grade coach.
No current center had the athletic ability of either Russell or Wilt. Shaq had nowhere the stamina or athleticism of those two guys. Hakeem was the closest because he played soccer which developed his speed and durability.....
Original GOAT. Everyone else just trying to catch him.
Blunt. Matter of fact. There is no one close to him in basketball history. Because of race it didn't matter how much better than the rest he was. And for jealousy it doesn't matter now.
What a learned and fascinating gentleman--a true basketball artist and a great athletic competitor. (Catch his autobiographical book, "Second Wind.")
I love this guy. Nothing but truths
In honor of black history month!!! BILL RUSSELL IS AS INFLUENTIAL IN AFRICAN AMERICAN SOCIETY AS ONE'. MLK' FREDRICK DOUGLAS' MALCOM X' THE G. O. A. T(if you don't know who I'm referring to SHAME ON YOU ) ect, ect , ect , I hope that some day the world can realize the power and influence of sport!!!!! And it's individuals ..... POWER
Confucius of NBA, he brought wisdom to the game ;) His athletic gift from God was only there as a decoy, it was from his very own hard work and understanding of the game that made him so great.
What a wonderful guy. :)
Wilt & Russell were just phenomenal athletes. Obviously the game has changed so much, but these guys, athleticism was far better than Jokic's today. No knock on Jokic, best player in today's NBA.
Interviewer has a laugh as big as Russell's. They make a good pair.
He was really fortunate to play along with Cooz,
They were a devastating combo ...
The Greatest, period!
rings are overrated, he was lucky to play in superteam
Ran track competitively , hurdles and long jump and could touch the top of the backboard. One of the greatest athletes and winningest of all time.
If Morgan Freeman is God, than Bill Russell is God's father.
8:39 “you haven’t accomplished anything if you beat a guy that can’t play” 💀
Bro Bill Russell's so good at the Boston Celtics Dude
The best PERIOD need I say more.
Love 1960s nba basketball 🏀
I prefer 90s
Man was more of a cerebral basketball player.
Master the art of defensive rotations and positioning.
Which people lack on 2K
My lifelong idol!
Bill Russell might be as good of a comedian as he was a basketball player.
I always wanted to hear what Mr. Russell thought of Kareem.
He thinks Kareem was great. Back around '70 a reporter asked Russell how he would do against (then) Alcindor. To which Russell famously replied, "The question is not how would I do against him. The question is how would he do against me."
@@tubewatcher38 Bill was a tremendous leaper but the sky hook was unstoppable.
Alot of people forget just how good havlicek was.Summons had him as the 14th best player ever in his book.He might have been higher than that.He was good at everything,and he tore the league apart for years after russell left.
For sure. Havlicek, like Moses Malone, is one of the all time underrated, truly great stars.
Moses should have won at least 1 or 2 more mvp's.
Absolutely, Havlicek was the man! He was invaluable in so many ways, not nearly recognized enough, especially now
this thing with oscar robertson was really funny! wish there was a tape :D
Bill russell not only had hops but quick hops, like Akeem and Walton did.
bill russell has a really great sense of humor ,and i am enjoying the female interviewers laugh !! , does anyone know her name ?
Yeah man. I love her channel. Real black culture
0:35
Actually, Bill was ranked #7 in the WORLD shortly prior to the 1956 Olympics - and would have gone in that sport had his status in Basketball due to the signed but NOT YET IMPLEMENTED contract with the Celtics caused him to not be able to go in Basketball.
Does anyone know who the reporter asking the questions is ?
bill russell
I didn't know about the athletic side of Russell. All I knew was that he was a winner. I can't imagine what a team containing Russell and Magic would be like. I'll tell you this much, just being athletic doesn't get you 11 championships in 13 years. This is a guy that could take his opponent in to very deep water every time. There is a will power and a focus among other things that people like him and Magic have. They can, with their will, control the momentum of a game. They can see.
he was lucky to be playing in a superteam tho
@@polpol1005 I never talk like this but just understand that without Russell the Celtics win a fraction of the championships they won during their reign. He's a stone winner.
@@YUHJKT hmm I just think he would never win a ring if he played in a bad team without superstars.
Let's put it this way. If Wilt Chamberlain went to the Celtics and Bill Russell went to the Lakers, Russell would still have a crap load of rings and Wilt would not have 11 rings. Although, who knows. Red Auerbach was also a stone winner. The point I'm making is Bill Russell was 3 times the winner Wilt was. The thing that makes a player a winner is 90% mental. It's like a killer instinct. I watched those games while I rooted for the Lakers. It wasn't bad luck for the Lakers it was that they were straight up out-willed and Russell was crushing us. He shut down the great Wilt Chamberlain. He controlled the game. In my opinion Russell is the goat.
@@YUHJKT who knows? We can only speculate about what would happened if the roles were switched - Wilt at Boston and Bill at LA.
Your description of being a "winner" is quite subjective tho. I never said Lakers had bad luck, they had worse team, if you ask me. Russell wouldn't win no ring if he played in bad team without any superstar around, that's my guess. Having said that, I'm not saying he won just because his super star teammates. It was a combination of everything, superteam, his own leadership and talent etc.
Who is conducting this interview? The woman's voice sounds familiar.
3:21
Not QUITE true - there are a couple narrow records Wilt has, but Bill has ALMOST ALL of the Playoff rebounding records - including almost all of the PER GAME ones - with WIlt a very narrow second.
IM BILL RUSSELL
One word - Innovator!!! Bill was so ahead of his time that it wasn’t funny. What sucks in the infancy of growing the game is that he gets so undervalued but he was a cerebral assassin, bar none. His BBall IQ was on Larry Bird level and I am sure Bird learned from Bill as well. I don’t care if it’s public school, to be the anchor for 11/13, 2 as player coach, and keep the motivation is unrivalled. This is what separates him from the rest. Defence isn’t sexy, and neither is selflessness. I hope the basketball world got everything on tape from this man as there will never be another like him at the centre spot.
Consider this: Russell's final two seasons at USF, his teams win two NCAA championships. Just before heading off to the pros, he plays on the 1956 Olympic team. They win the Gold. Then he goes to Boston and plays 13 years. They win 11 championships. His final tally: 16 potential championships -- and Bill's teams win 14 of them. Should there really be any argument about the best this or that? All this guy did was WIN, WIN, WIN. Case closed.
well ... he was lucky to be playing in a superteam tho
@@polpol1005 Lucky? Oh, that is baloney! I hate it when people run down Bill by saying he was surrounded by superstars. Did you ever see him play? Russell is the one who made teams "super". How do you account for the fact that he took an average USF team in college & won two straight championships? We're talking the USF Dons here!! Then he took the Celtics, who were good with Cousy & Sharman but were continual also-rans in the NBA, and he ran off several championships before those two retired. They were replaced by the Jones boys (Sam & KC). Neither KC nor forward Tom Sanders could shoot. They were good defensive players. Heinsohn was good but not really great. He got his points by shooting a lot. They added Havlicek in '62 and he developed into a true star. Sam Jones became a great shooter and led the team in scoring. Late in the '60s they added a good, aging power forward, Bailey Howell, and he helped them win rings in '68 and '69.
If you take away Russell, all these other players, even the so-called "super" ones like Havlicek and Sam, and the Celtics become average and never win a championship.
Bill would absolutely dominate the centers today. Truly a once in a life time athlete.
Thank-you for uploading this visionaryproject. This is priceless. Who is the woman interviewing Mr. Russell? Please let me know. Her voice sounds familiar.
I think that it might be Jayne Kennedy
Honestly the only guy I think that would beat jordan in an nba finals
I agree..He would do mind games against Jordan. If Jordan found it hard against the Pistons with their physcial rough play added with knowledge of the team game. Jordan would find a way to say Bill Rusell and his teams are dirty..hahahaa...MJ didnt like to lose and to have someone like Russell know his opponents and game settings real well would be terrifying for Jordan. Russell mental approach is real high even more than Jordan and Magic..Now Bird mental approach is right there with Bill Russell and Russell definitely know that.
no way, not him
2:34
To be fair, for about half of his career when he WORKED at rebounding, Dennis probably WAS a Top 5 rebounder of all time and had a case IN THOSE YEARS for one of the 3 best ever.
The OTHER half of Dennis's career though, he was an OK but nowhere near great at rebounding player.
Russell is always so lighthearted and funny in these interviews, but this is not how he really is. Anybody who lived in Seattle back in the day knew that if you ever saw him anywhere, stay away!! I was boarding a plane at Seatac in the late 90s and Russell was right in front of me on the boarding line. I didn't say a word to him, because I knew.
If I could meet Bill Russell, I would to say I'm sorry for the racism he experienced (heard about via a Bob Cousy video). It is a shame on us as a country but on Boston especially what they tolerated. Nevertheless, Bill Russell rose above it all. He was a Jackie Robinson of basketball. Well done!
But I would also like to thank him for being the gentleman he always seemed to be. Bill Russell was always a classy guy whenever and wherever I saw him interviewed. And, he certainly was and is one of the smartest players ever to play the game and comment on it. We ought to call him "the Professor".
And mostly, I'd like to thank him for being the incredible player he was. My goodness! Who is the GOAT? Well, Bill Russell has to be way up there in consideration because he did everything well. Most importantly, he did whatever was necessary for his team to win. Who else has so many championships?! Thank you Mr. Russell!
8:42 LHAO XD
4:43
I disagree - Nate Thurmond would also have had a lot of knowledge on the subject, with how long HE and Wilt overlapped - and Nate had to PRACTICE vs Wilt when they were both on the Warriors.
Nate the Great wasn't exactly a slouch as a center - when no less than KAREEM names Nate "the player that guarded me the toughest"....
He is with MJ, Kareem and Magic one of the four goat-candidates.
nah.. rings are overrated, he was lucky to play in superteam
@@polpol1005 before Russell, Celtics won NOTHING!!! and it took another 5 years to win a titel again. NO, without Russell, no dynasty. He was probably the greatest defender & leader in the NBA and understood perfectly what it needs to win titels.
@@ericfurst6091 he was a part of team but surely not the most important part. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't win no ring should he play in a bad team
@@polpol1005 again, they won npthing before him and after his 1st season, they WON. so that means he was the X factor. So yes, he was the most important player.
In IF's, im not interested bc im more interested in FACTS. 🤷♂️
@@ericfurst6091 we'll never know what would happen if he was in a team without any other superstars tho. I believe he wouldn't win no ring, that's my point.
0:35
Not quite correct.
He WAS ranked #7 in the WORLD at one point during 1956, despite not high jumping at the Olympics that year (one sport limit).
He WAS #2 or #3 in the US prior to the Olympics.
Had he NOT gotten onto the Basketball team (there was some controversy over him having signed with the Celtics, even though he'd not gotten any pay YET and had not played or practiced with them YET), he WOULD have been on the US Olympic Team as a High Jumper that year.
He DID have a TIE with the eventual Olympic Champion of 1956 (Charlie Dumas, as he goes on to mention), in the West Coast Relays as I recall (they were co-champions for that meet) - but 6 other folks had better jumps that year BEFORE the Olympics (where the first OFFICIAL 7' jump happened by Charlie) and that tie was "only" at 6' 9 and a fraction inches (actually was measured METRIC, as that was the Olympic standard).
MESELF POPS
I have no doubt bill and wilt would have seasons of over 20 rebounds a game in any era if not mores some people saying that they would only average 13 are idiots. smh
Just thought id through make that point,its not a knock on russell he was awesome but he usually had better players around him than jordan,abdul jabbar or wilt did.That 1962 celtics club was so loaded it was cousys last season and havliceks first.That 12 man roster had 8 future hall of famers on it.
Some were in the HOF because they played with the Celtics. Watch the series with the Lakers. Russell gets 40 rebounds and the Celtics barely win in the seventh game.
@@DrJohnnyJ 30 points and 44 rebounds, Bill had the greatest 7th game. He was 10-0 in Game 7s, so the competition was other worldly. MJ was 2-0, Wilt 4-5, Jerry West 1-9.
@@clu4u but West only player to win MVP in the finals on the losing team.
Bill helped them all make the HOF.
@@krisharkleroad8 ok fair enough
I honestly think if bill russel was born in the 80 or 90s he would play like lebron today...similar height build and stupid athleticism court vision etc.
cray 3K interesting comment!
+cray 3K He'd be more like a Kawhi or Pippen on the perimeter. But, he would definitely be great at forcing turnovers and running in transition. He would be one of the league's best rim runners, best protectors in the paint, and he would have amazing court vision.
+cray 3K You guys have to remember that he was 6'9" measured barefoot with no embellishment. Nowadays, they measure with shoes and a little fudging. Russell would be about 6'11"-7' by today's measurement- true center height. You can see this by looking at pictures of old Russell next to KG, Duncan, and Howard.
Cray, Bill Russell is built more like KG or Kevin Durant than Lebron. Gus Johnson of the Bullets was more like Lebron.
Ray, that is what he was when he played. To say he would be the same player is not saying anything. Remember he was probably one of the tallest players in the league when he played and for his whole basketball career. So to bring him forward he still has to be a big man not average size.
The surrounding cast russell had around him was far superior to the guys jordan had around him.
Certainly deeper.
Russell also made all of his teammates better. Something Jordan didn't do very well.
Jordan and Pippen complemented each other beautifully. Paxson, along with Grant, did as well.
how would he crush todays players? He would be the smallest center in the game and would still would have no offensive game. He would be a role player at best.
You obviously dont know basketball
He was a pioneer. It's all in the mind. If he was born today he would have all the tools they have now and a superior basketball brain... of course he would dominate
People keep getting hung up on the 6'9" height, but that's a barefoot height without any "fluffing." Look at the pictures of Russell in his 70s in dress shoes next to Howard in basketball shoes. They are the same height, and Howard is listed as 6'11". Or look at him next to Bird, who is also listed at 6'9". There is clearly a 2"+ difference. Russell would probably have been listed at 7' flat today. Plus, he had a 7'4" wingspan. Wilt would have be listed at 7'3" or 7'4", and Russell guarded him well. Besides, watch the videos of Russell playing. On both ends of the floor, he's superior to any center that plays today. He was criticized for scoring ability, but he still had a decent hook shot and very good touch on his fast break layups. Moreover, his speed, court vision, and passing ability right off the rebound would kill on fast paced teams. On defense and rebounding, his game is virtually flawless. He just has a knack for the game- there's no other explanation. Don't get caught up in all the nonsense about weak competition or shorter players (players on average were only 1" shorter than today despite being measured bare foot). Okay, shooting in that era was generally worse aside from a few greats like West. Dribbling was only awkward because of stricter illegal dribble rules. Russell would easily be the best center in the league today. Would he "cruse" players? It depends on what you mean by "crush"
Russell could & did score 30 any time the team needed him to - which wasn't all that often.
His role would be accumulating championship rings.
Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Jesus is God in flesh. Jesus is the one true God. We are all sinners and we all fall short of the glory of God. Jesus came to the Earth and died for sins to be washed away so can make it to Heaven. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and the only way to Heaven. U have to do more than just a believe in Jesus to make it to Heaven tho. U have to do the Lord's will. These are the things the word of God told us we have to do be forgiven for our sins, saved, and make it to Heaven.
Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Repent from your sins.
Get baptized in the name of Jesus.
Have a deep relationship with Jesus.
Love everyone
Forgive others
Obey God's commandments.
Speak the word of God to the world.
Do the Lord's will until the end.
There is nothing more important than God. This life is jus temporary but Heaven and Hell is forever. Your true purpose in life is to follow Jesus, have a deep relationship with Jesus, walk with Jesus, learn about Jesus, and lead others to Jesus.
God has so many commandments it's 613 of them and it's impossible to obey all of them all the time. U are gonna make mistakes and God knows U can't be perfect that's why Jesus came to the Earth and died for our sins to be washed away. God jus wants U to try your hardest to not sins, to obey his commandments, and to do everything he wants U to do and when U do sin he jus wants U to be honest with him and admit to your sins, ask for forgiveness of your sins, and ask Jesus to help U not give into temptation of sins.
Hell wasn't meant for us it was meant for Satan and the other fallen angels. Satan decieved the first humans and caused them to sin and the world become corrupt and most humans choose not to follow Jesus. Satan is decieving people and there are so many people heading to Hell. Satan, the fallen angels, evil spirits, and Satan's followers the Illuminati, the richest families in the world and the Free Masons, they all control the world from the governments, the economy, drug trade, Hollywood, movies, TV, radio, news, science community, schools, and even religion and they are lying to U, decieving U, trying to brainwash U, and trying to keep U from the truth. They don't want U to follow Jesus. Those people are Devil worshippers that sold their soul to the Devil for fortune, fame, and power. They promote sin thru movies TV and music, they try to get U disobey God, they don't want U to follow Jesus, they poison your food water and medicine, and they are trying to create a One World Government that Satan will come as the AntiChrist and will rule the world in the last days. And they are gonna try to make U take the mark of the beast on your forehead or forearm and if U take it U will automatically go to Hell. And they are gonna try to kill U.
Religion is being used to confuse people. That's why there is so many different religions and there should only one religion and that's Jesus. Christianity is even doing things wrong. It has many different religions inside one religion and they are all making their own interpretations of the Bible instead of going exactly what the word of God says. When Christianity was started the Romans took several books out the original Hebrew Bible. Most churches and preachers don't speak the full truth of the Bible they are presching false doctrines. Most of them also follow the traditions of men instead of obeying God's commandments. They are celebrating the Sabbath on the wrong day Sunday the first day of the week instead of Saturday the last day of the week. They are baptizing people the wrong way in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost instead of in the name of Jesus. And alot of them celebrate false Paegan holidays that are satanic. And U don't have to go to church cause Jesus never commanded us to. jesus set his church up on the rock with his disciples and we are suppose to be disciples of Jesus so the us the followers of Jesus is the real church not a building. Church buildings are jus places U can go to praise God, have a fellowship, and learn the word of God but U can do those things anywhere anytime. It's better to make sure U read the Bible yourself and learn the word of God and make sure the church is going exactly of the word of God.
If U Love Jesus then U will obey his commandments. U show Jesus U Love him by your actions. Don't live for the worldly things like money, materialistic things, attention, and other stuff, live for Jesus. Dont follow the world follow Jesus. And Jesus is coming back soon.
I doubt if all of this rubbish you spammed this thread with is true but I am quite sure that Mr. Russel would kick your gods ass on a basketball court
Faith in Jesus is the only requirement to be righteous, and good works proceed thereafter. Good works don't get a person into heaven. Faith in Jesus does.
@@mulcogiseng3175 You would be wrong then.
Nice to hear all this from Russ. But all the dumb laughter from the "interviewer" is really off-putting.
could touch the top of the backboard MY ASS
Ikr, only person to reach the top of the backboard was wilt
+Matei Constantinescu yeah I'm sure you were there to document it....gtfo
Why dafuq would he be lying. Jerry west could touch the corner of the square
lol him and wilt had almost the same verticle, why wouldnt he be able to? Not to mention he was one of the best track and field stars on the planet
Wilt had a standing reach of 9'6", Russ 9'2". Both had long arms and could really jump.
Just because someone is old does not make them wise/
Stuart Perry stfu
STFU yourself ah, if you got something to say be a man then make your point.
Maybe. But in the case of Bill, winning 11 out of 13 championships , 2 of them leading the Celtics as a player-coach has for sure granted him quite a dose of wisdom. Not to mention what he s done off the court. Period.
@@stuartperry8141
I'll make a point, Stu Pid.
You're a jackass.
the most overrated player of all time. No way a top ten player.
+chad alan you are flat out stupid
the curry generation is retarded
5 MVP's, 11NBA championships, 2 NCAA championships, an Olympic Gold Medal, second highest rebounding total and average for his career, one of only 2 guys to get 20K rebounds, got at least 20 rebounds in every postseason game he ever played, and still contributed on the offensive side of the ball, passed well, ran the fast break so well, and could mentally break his opponents. He's so overrated, right? Wrong! One of the all time greats!
Probably typical ignoramus enthralled with stats. The type that love an Iverson or a Nique.
Know nothing about nba basketball 🏀 history, should have a giant statue of bill Russell, george Mikan, neil johnston etc etc of these nba basketball legend basketball hall of fame