Bill Russell
1934-2022
When someone of the stature of Bill Russell dies, far be it for me, The Grandstander, to write of his life and accomplishments. First of all, who ISN'T aware of Bill Russell, so what could I possibly add to the commentary? Secondly, tributes for Russell from his peers and the writers who knew him and covered his career can be found all over the Internet, and I urge you all to seek them out and read them. I will, however, link one such tribute here and it came from someone who might possibly be mentioned in the same paragraph with Bill Russell when it comes to basketball greatness, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
So, I will not write of the 11 NBA titles, 2 NCAA titles, Olympic Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, or a noble life of social activism (although I guess that I just did). Instead, I will just share two things that always stuck with me about Russell.
First, I once read that his decision to never sign autographs was because of the impersonal nature of the transaction. He would rather, he said, just have someone say Hi to him and exchange pleasantries. This is why I've never sought autographs when given the opportunity. I've usually approached such folks and just said Hello or thanks for what you did or just how are you. I've done this with people like Bob Friend, Franco Harris, Chuck Tanner, Steve Blass, Lynn Swann, and Chuck Noll (although I couldn't resist, and I did get Noll to sign a baseball for me). I think that they all appreciated it.
Second, during his broadcast career as a network analyst for NBA games, I heard Russell say, when his partner, possibly Brent Mussberger, was talking about injuries affecting a team, "Injuries are as much a part of this game as free throws." No alibis. I have always remembered that.
RIP Bill Russell. We will not see his like again.
Russell Rebounding
Did anyone ever do it better?
Jump Ball with Wilt
This defined an era of pro basketball
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Boston Says Good-bye
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