[SHAMS] Bill Russell has passed away peacefully at 88…

[sfernald]

I wouldn't be too sad, he lived a full wonderful life, made a big difference in the world and will be remembered for a long time. That's about the best we as humans can really hope for. Immortality or even longevity was never in the cards.

[jehosafats]

It was funny at events, how all the biggest names in the game looked small next to him.

LEGEND

RIP Sir William Russell

[BudTugly]

Learned by logging in here, thanks realgm. RIP. Most people don’t know but I suppose around here a lotta do. Cheers to the community and celebrate the life of one of the true greats

[HollowEarth]

RIP Bill Russell

Basketball legend. Invented what we think of as defensive fundamentals. Averaged 8 blocks and 24 rebounds per game for a season.

Civil rights hero.

11 x champion.

And laughing to the end.

Life is precious because it's too brief.

[swyftdahoe]

RIP to a goat player and better human being.

[Myth_Breaker]

RIP! IMHO Bill Russell was the greatest ever defensive player and Top-5/6 greatest player in history. But he lived a long, happy and successful life - so I guess it shall diminish our mourn about him passing away.

[Ill News]

Bill Russell is undoubtedly the greatest teammate ever. Over everything else, that's his legacy. He's more than just the greatest defender, or even the greatest player as some are disputing. Being the greatest teammate of all time is what he always wanted his legacy to be; the ultimate team player, always acknowledging his teammates for their success and helping them win. There's a reason his statue in Boston is in a pose where he's about to pass the ball, not skying for a block or a rebound.

On the court, that's how he wanted to be remembered, as the best teammate the league has ever seen. 11 titles in 13 years is an accomplishment that will NEVER be replicated. And for whatever legacy he left on the court, his impact off it is even greater. I really hope the tributes keep pouring in for the next few weeks and doesn't just die down after a couple of days, because such an important figure like Russell deserves it.

RIP, legend. It's a shame the Celtics couldn't win another title right before you passed, but at least you were able to witness a magical season that just came up two games short. Such a sad day to be a Celtics fan; it's like a part of the franchise's soul passed away...

[mccluskey]

RIP to one of the greats.

[no dice]

RIP Bill Russell. We lost an amazing person but can't expect a better way to go

[hauntedcomputer]

Top 5 for me

[ellobo]

My favorite legendary player that I never got to see during his career, for his unparalleled winning record, his fiercely authentic personality, his personal integrity, and social conscience.

Here are a few random memories and observations:

Bill Russell once said in an interview, "The way I play, my team wins."

Is this not the best thing that can be said by (or about) a player? And does anyone's record back it up anywhere close to Russell's?

He is the ultimate outlier when it comes to winning. His winning record is unique and unmatched -- 11 championships in 13 seasons, as the best player and dominant personality on his teams (on top of 2 consecutive NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal). You can discount rings, argue different eras, and crunch the numbers all you want, but when the object of the sport is to win championships, and you have 11 while the next guy on the list (who is the consensus GOAT) has 6, it's hard to ignore that.

I first got to know Russell as a commentator. I saw A LOT of games he did as a commentator and I thought he was great on TV, even though I recall reading a lot of criticism of his commentary.

For instance, one thing he was criticized for as a broadcaster was obsessively stating the margin between the leading and trailing team. But I saw this as a reflection of what he would be thinking during a game, constantly tracking the impact of each possession on the score, trying to cut a lead when behind or expand on it when ahead. It gave me an appreciation for the mentality of focusing on the most important thing in the game, where you stand on the scoreboard, at all times.

Then there was the infamous "watermelon grin" episode with Rick Barry. Barry's comment is as cringey, and Russell's reaction is as angrily tense, as you'll ever see on a sports broadcast. During a Rockets-Celtics game they showed an old photo of Bill Russell when he was on the 1956 Olympic team, and Rick Barry commented, "It looks like some fool with a big watermelon grin." Russell was PISSED, and made it very clear he was upset, but Barry and Gary Bender, the play-by-play guy, just continued on obliviously.

Watch on YouTube

Russell's autobiography, Second Wind, written with Taylor Branch, is one of the best sports autobiography's I've read. One anecdote that stands out, about the transition from player to coach, that I always remember is this one form Second Wind, and it has nothing to do with Xs and Os:

Though I thought Red (Auerbach) wasn't mean enough to (Tommy) Heinsohn it seemed he was too mean to Satch (Sanders) and (Don) Nelson. He'd yell at them for no reason at all, as a pair, and he was cruel. He used to embarrass the whole team as he jumped up and down and yell at them as though they were referees. This offended my sense of justice, and so when of my first reforms when I succeeded Red as coach was giving Satch and Nelson the respect they deserved. That season, unfortunately, Satch and Nelson played like ghosts at first.

...It wasn't that they were goofing up, but neither of them seemed to be there, and I couldn't put my finger on exactly what they were doing wrong, but finally I'd boil over and yell at them. Then, of course, they'd play better. For weeks I tried yelling at them only when they were guilty of something, but it didn't work. Then I tried yelling at them when they were clearly innocent; some players, like Heinsohn, could become productively engaged when wrongly accused. But that didn't help either. Then it dawned on me that it didn't matter so much why I yelled at Satch and Nelson; I just had to do it regularly, at certain intervals, the way you take vitamin pills. After only a few months as player-coach I found myself thinking, "Okay, it's 7:20. Time to yell at Satch and Nelson." Needless to say, Red became less of an ogre to me and I became more of one to the players.

― Bill Russell, Second Wind

Russell was a world class high jumper whose best competition jump in a college meet in 1956 was equal to the bronze medal winning jump in the Olympics later that year. In that meet he tied for 1st place with Charlie Dumas, who went on to win gold at the 1956 Olympics and became the first man to jump over 7 feet. So he was legitimately an internationally elite high jumper.

The last game of Russell's career was the infamous "Balloon Game." Game 7 of the Finals on the road in LA against the Lakers (the Lakers had 55 regular season wins and were the 1st seed in the West; the Celtics won 48 games and were the 4th seed in the East). From Wikipedia:

In anticipation of a Lakers win, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had ordered thousands of balloons with "World Champion Lakers" printed on them suspended from the rafters of the Forum. Flyers were placed in every seat stating, "When, not if, the Lakers win the title, balloons will be released from the rafters, the USC marching band will play "Happy Days Are Here Again" and broadcaster Chick Hearn will interview Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain in that order." Before the game, the Celtics circulated in their locker room a memo about the Lakers' celebration plans. When Jerry West went to the court for a pre game shoot around and saw the balloons, he became furious with Cooke. Russell noted the giant net hanging from the ceiling during pregame warmups and said to West, "Those f***ing balloons are staying up there."

Again, this was the last game of this dude's career, after already winning 10 championships in 12 years, when he was physically diminshed and running on fumes, and his team was not a dominant juggernaut.

"Those f***ing balloons are staying up there." [And they did stay up there]

That's Bill Russell.

I'm not a big renaming person, but if they named the Maurice Podoloff MVP trophy to the Bill Russell MVP trophy I would be great with it. No offense to Maurice Podoloff and all, but he had a good 35 year run with his name for the trophy.

I actually think Finals MVP is the perfect award to be named after Russell.

[Pelon chingon]

Rest easy to Sacramento Kings legend Bill Russell.

[John Murdoch]

Top 5 for me

Whats the value on that card now? Always felt like his closest player comp was a mix of KG/Jokic

[Clyde Frazier]

Read on Twitter

This is the best

[ropjhk]

RIP to a legend and pioneer on and off the court.

[ropjhk]

Sad also that this happens as another black pioneer in Nichelle Nichols passes away. Both were of the same generation of black celebrities who helped advance perceptions and broke down barriers.

[DirtybirdGA]

Might have to check out his games on NBA TV tonight. 6 and 10 est, I believe.

[The Laker Kid]

RIP Legend! Respect...

[bisme37]

Might have to check out his games on NBA TV tonight. 6 and 10 est, I believe.

Thanks for the heads up. Game 6 of the 63 Finals is on now and a condensed version of Game 7 of the 69 Finals is on later tonight.

[red96]

Rip.