(At the time, blocks were not yet an officially registered statistic.) Someone who doesn’t get enough recognition is Elgin Baylor. But Bosh’s game is marked by more than statistics and his two championships. Malone is second all-time to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in career scoring with 36,928 points and seventh in career rebounds with 14,968. If you take each of those and divide it by the number of available rebounds in each game for each specific season, Russell's 1963-64 season in which he AVERAGED a career-high 24.7 rebounds a game is the best rebounding season in NBA history. [95] He also could score with putbacks and made mid-air outlet passes to point guard Bob Cousy for easy fast-break points. This would occur repeatedly throughout his career. (K.C. In the 1957 season, Russell was the first player to average more than 20 rebounds a game. Russell’s 1958-59 campaign was strong again, leading the Celtics to a then-league record of 52 wins. Russell held Chamberlain to a pair of field goals in the first three quarters of Game 3. In the 1967 national championship against Dayton, Alcindor scored a team-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, along with 18 rebounds. Drawing from every level of the sport -- high school, college, and the NBA, amateur and pro, men's and women's basketball -- this book will put you in the middle of the fast-paced, heart-stopping action When Seconds Count. [15] Combining the stature and shot-blocking skills of a center with the foot speed of a guard, Russell became the centerpiece of a USF team that soon became a force in college basketball. He believed that being a great shooter was overrated. His stint as coach of the Celtics was also of historical significance, as he became the first black head coach in major U.S. professional sports when he succeeded Red Auerbach. In Elgin Baylor: The Man Who Changed Basketball, Bijan C. Bayne tells the story of how a kid from the streets of segregated Washington, DC, who didn’t attend college until he was over twenty, revolutionized basketball and stood up for his ... [78] The same fate awaited his Boston restaurant called "Slade's", after which he had to default on a $90,000 government loan to purchase the outlet. [34] Auerbach later claimed that Brown offered Harrison guaranteed performances of the Ice Capades if they did not draft Russell; it is difficult to verify or disprove this, but it is clear that the Royals underrated Russell. Any player with double digit rebounds in a game has made a solid contribution to their team and to grab 20 is an especially noteworthy accomplishment. Birthdate: February 12, 1934. "[138] Describing the Celtics organization (as distinguished from Boston sports fans in the 1950s and 1960s) as very progressive racially, Russell in 2010 recalled a list of the organization's accomplishments on racial progress both in terms of objective milestones and his own subjective experience as a member of the organization:[139]. Chamberlain would average 28.7 points and 28.7 rebounds per game in 142 contests against his rival Russell, with a game high of 62 points on January 14th, 1962. On this day in 1958, Bill Russell was able to pull in 41 rebounds in a single game. Russell further described himself as an avid reader of Dell Magazines' 1950s sports publications, which he used to scout opponents' moves for the purpose of defending against them. We won the National Championship. …. As a child he witnessed how his parents were victims of racial abuse, and the family eventually moved into government housing projects to escape the daily torrent of bigotry. [42] However, despite their different ethnic backgrounds and lack of common off-court interests, his relationship with Celtics point guard and fan favorite Bob Cousy was amicable. I saw Wilt play over his entire career. Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League are tied for the record of the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. Wilt's career high in rebounds came in a loss against Bill Russell & The Boston Celtics on November 24, 1960. [64] Russell thus became the first black head coach in NBA history[1] and commented to journalists: "I wasn't offered the job because I am a Negro, I was offered it because Red figured I could do it. In 1973, Russell resurfaced as head coach and general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics. This is a game of habits, and the player with the most consistent habits is the best. USF All-Time Career Rebounder, 1,606. When I started to jump to make defensive plays and to block shots, I was initially corrected, but I stuck with it, and it paid off. The Celtics were the first [NBA basketball] team to draft a black player, period:… [a] guy named Chuck Cooper from Duquesne… The first team to start five black players was the Boston Celtics… The first [NBA organization] to hire a black [head] coach was the Boston Celtics… and [they've] had at least five [black head-coaches] over the years. So we never, or at least I never, ever considered him as having ulterior motives for whatever he did. [65] The Sixers simply outpaced the Celtics when they shredded the famed Boston defense by scoring 140 points in the clinching Game 5 win. [83][84] Russell was also honored during the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. Russell labeled defense a “science” that takes time to perfect. [59] It was their sixth consecutive and seventh title in Russell's eighth year, a streak unreached in any U.S. professional sports league. Chamberlain often invited Russell over for Thanksgiving dinner, and at Russell's place, conversation mostly concerned Russell's electric trains. Found inside – Page 2329Robertson led the NBA in freethrow percentage, scored a career-high 31.4 points per game, and and Wayne Embry , the Royals ... He won the NBA MVP award and became the only player other than Bill Russell to win it from 1960 to 1968. Russell was a game-changer on defense. Anthony Davis scores a career-high and Pelicans franchise-high 59 points on 24-of-34 shooting to go along with 20 rebounds. An account of the NBA from 1956 to 1966, after the introduction of the 24-second shot clock, highlights those who dominated the sport during its "glory days," including Red Auerbach, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Boston Celtics. L.A. now featured new recruit Wilt Chamberlain next to perennial stars Baylor and West, and were heavily favored. But there's another type who makes the players around him look better than they are, and that's the type Russell was."[97]. Averaged EVER, for a season or so, is the very short list already provided. In Game 5, Russell contributed 28 rebounds, 10 blocks, seven assists and six steals. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 12-time All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won eleven NBA championships during his 13-year career. He's the guy who whipped us psychologically."[33]. UCLA coach John Wooden called Russell "the greatest defensive man I've ever seen". [38] The Celtics broke a league record by winning 52 games, and Russell's strong performance once again helped lead the Celtics through the post-season, as they returned to the NBA Finals. Bill Bradley for the New York Times Book Review wrote of Red and Me, "Bill Russell is a private, complex man, but on the subject of his love of Red Auerbach and his Celtic teammates, he's loud and clear. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball scored a career-high 34 points to go along with eight assists in a 138-121 loss to the Utah … Russell averaged 22.5 REBOUNDS for his career. He is ranked 8th overall in total rebounds and fifth overall in rebounds per game. 1. Because the Celtics had finished second in the previous season and the worst teams had the highest draft picks, the Celtics had slipped too low in the draft order to pick Russell. "[132] Years after Taylor's book, Russell published an autobiographical account, Red and Me which chronicled his lifelong friendship with Auerbach. Chamberlain outscored Russell by 81 points in the series, but the Celtics walked off with a 4–2 series win. [6] When World War II broke out, the elder Russell became a truck driver. You are less. [5], Charles Russell was described as a "stern, hard man" who initially worked in a paper factory as a janitor, which was a typical "Negro Job"—low paid and not intellectually challenging, as sports journalist John Taylor commented. [33], The Celtics lost playmaker Bob Cousy to retirement after the 1962–63 season, but they drafted John Havlicek. Three-time All-CBAC/WCAC All-Star. [90], Russell is one of the most successful and decorated athletes in North American sports history. Pete Fenoff. "[63] The Celtics' championship streak ended at eight in his first full season as head coach when Wilt Chamberlain's Philadelphia 76ers won a record-breaking 68 regular-season games and beat the Celtics 4–1 in the 1967 Eastern Finals. Russell and his black teammates became targets of racist jeers, particularly on the road. Rebounding and defense, however, were his strengths. And I could anticipate every move that every player made. He played in 11 deciding games (10 times in Game 7s, once in a Game 5), and ended with a flawless 11–0 record. 13th all-time in career rebounds: 1,606 rebounds; Tied for 24th all-time in highest rebounding average in a season: 21.0 rebounds per game; What did people say about Bill Russell? Russell is universally seen as one of the best NBA players ever,[1] and was declared "Greatest Player in the History of the NBA" by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America in 1980. [35], During that same draft, Boston also drafted guard K. C. Jones, Russell's former USF teammate. Season of the 76ers, The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers, chronicles the unprecedented, record-setting championship journey of the team that finally stopped the Celtics and became the new kings of the ... He has an almost superhuman physique. One makes himself look good at the expense of the other guys on the floor. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell are numbers one and two in rebounds per game and total rebounds for the regular season and the playoffs, with Wilt winning the regular season, and Bill winning the playoffs. “Russell told me I better bring pepper and salt to the next game,” Bridges once said. Russell ranked No. In 2009, SLAM Magazine named Russell the No. ... Bill Russell. Wilt’s rebounding anomalies extend beyond just that record. The Celtics earned another post-season appearance, where they defeated the Syracuse Nationals 4–1 in the Eastern Division Finals. [109] In 1996, Russell married his third wife, Marilyn Nault;[110] their marriage lasted until her death in January 2009. [33] Despite this, the Celtics were leading only 97–95 with 34 seconds left when Russell closed out the game with several consecutive clutch plays. 'The Chief' Robert Parish was a solid center in his NBA career, and … In addition, Russell holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most rebounds (40, March 29, 1960, vs. St. Louis, and April 18, 1962, vs. Los Angeles), most rebounds in a quarter (19, April 18, 1962, vs. Los Angeles), and most consecutive games with 20 or more rebounds (15 from April 9, 1960 – April 16, 1963). As a freshman at McClymonds High School[9] in Oakland, Russell was almost cut again. DeJulio was unimpressed by Russell's meager scoring and "atrocious fundamentals",[14] but sensed that the young center had an extraordinary instinct for the game, especially in the clutch. [33] After the game, Russell went over to the distraught West (who had scored 42 points and was named the only NBA Finals MVP in history from the losing team), clasped his hand and tried to soothe him. He averaged 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game over his 13 seasons in the league. (Feb. 21, 2016) 2. [38] In the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics played the Eastern Division Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, who had recently traded for Wilt Chamberlain. In The Rivalry, award-winning journalist John Taylor projects the stories of Russell, Chamberlain, and other stars from the NBA’s golden age onto a backdrop of racial tensions and cultural change. [1], Russell again excelled during the 1964–65 season. And so [Walter Brown,] the… guy that owned the Celtics[,] was [in addition to Auerbach for whom Russell expressed "respect" and "actual love"] another one of the fine, good, and decent human beings that I've ever encountered… When the [Celtics] drafted Chuck Cooper and they came into Washington, D.C. to sign his contract, Walter Brown the owner of the team walked up to him and said 'Mr. In 2008, Russell received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. 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