For the week of June 27 - July 3, 2001

Russell on roundball, 
and Celtic pride

Celtic captain promotes book and mentoring in Boise

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"I was introduced to a game and I changed it. Michael (Jordan) was introduced to a game and he perfected it."

"I always considered my final victory was that I decided when to leave."

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By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

Boston Celtics basketball legend Bill Russell often rides his motorcycle on the back roads of Idaho, Oregon and Utah. He says he’s ridden his motorcycle in 24 states.

A private man, he enjoys the solitude and movement. It’s part of Russell’s self-awareness, always his strong suit.

Bill Russell makes a point during his "chalk talk," in the Idaho Steelheads locker room June 15 in Boise. Referring to the present-day Boston Celtics as "we," Russell predicted "we will make the playoffs next year." The Celtics have the 10th, 11th and 21st first-round picks in tonight’s NBA draft. Express photo by David N. Seelig

His words are measured, his gaze is direct and his laugh is infectious. Picture an American original and you’ve got a portrait of Bill Russell, a rugged individual who ironically was the greatest team player in sports.

Russell’s unmatched success as a team leader redefined the role of African American men in sports. His importance in the ongoing fight for civil rights ranks with Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

That’s because of who he is.

Throughout his 45 years as a sports celebrity, the 6-9 Russell has frequently been asked if he’s a basketball player. No, he answers—basketball is what I do, it’s not who I am.

Fit and trim for a 67-year old who likes to play a little golf, Russell threw on a real suit when he stopped in Boise June 15-16 in a formal appearance to promote his new book and his interest in mentoring.

"An Evening with Bill Russell" at the Bank of America Centre featured a high-roller "chalk talk," for 35 donors in the Idaho Steelheads locker room followed by a general appearance before 400 people in the arena.

Russell listened, told stories, entertained and answered questions, with all proceeds to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Idaho.

 

Basketball talk and more

Someone asked him to compare himself with Michael Jordan—two players with identical numbers of NBA MVP awards (five) and a bunch of titles (Russell 11, Jordan six).

"When I take the time to compare," he said, weighing his words and pausing for effect, "I was introduced to a game and I changed it. Michael was introduced to a game and he perfected it.

"You’ve never going to see a player better than Jordan. You might see his equal, never anyone better."

In person, Bill Russell carries himself with dignity and integrity—the same way he carried himself throughout his basketball career. Answering questions is one way he displays that dignity.

One listener in Boise, a 19-year old who seemed to know everything about Russell, brought up the subject of the 1969 NBA World Championship Series, when the Celtics after a sub-par season managed to knock off the powerful Los Angeles Lakers in seven games, on the Lakers home floor.

It was Russell’s last game, although no one knew it at the time except for Bill Russell.

"We were not supposed to win," Russell wrote in his new book, "Russell Rules." "Everyone considered them the stronger team, and when we got to L.A., the outcome was predetermined."

Lakers champagne was on ice, 10,000 balloons were perched in the rafters and the USC band was ready to play "Happy Days are Here Again," to celebrate the impending victory of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

Russell, seeking an innovative way to motivate his team, got a copy of the planned Lakers’ victory celebration and read it to his teammates in the pre-game locker room.

Bill Russell and Big Brothers, Big Sisters board member Joel Poppen (right) talk about the framed piece of Boston Garden parquet floor that would be auctioned off for $3,000 later in the evening. Express photo by David N. Seelig

He also did something he never did before. He told his teammates there was no way in his wildest imagination he could see the Lakers winning the game. "We’re going to run them into the ground," he said.

The Celtics lead was 17 points at half-time. In the third, Lakers titan Chamberlain limped off the court with an injury. The Lakers compensated by making a run with back-up center Mel Counts. Still, Chamberlain stayed seated in what turned out to be a coach’s decision.

So, this was the question from the 19-year old Russell fan in Boise—a brave question with the intimidating presence of Russell just five feet away.

"Did you run by Chamberlain while he was sitting on the bench and call him a coward for not returning?" the teen said.

Russell, unsmiling but respectful of the query, stared at the young man for a moment, then said, "Asking Wilt Chamberlain to come back into the game would have been a foolish thing to do. And I am not a foolish man."

Then he laughed in his familiar cackle, and elaborated about his long friendship with Chamberlain and his genuine respect for The Stilt’s talent.

Although, as a youth, he was on the playground 12 hours a day ("it was pure joy," he said), Russell disliked practice.

He said, "My attitude toward practice was, I never practiced unless I was working on something.

"As a freshman in college, I took 500 shots a night—250 with my right hand and 250 with my left. I learned how to play defense with both hands."

Could he coach today’s players?

"Of course," Russell said. "I talk to the players all the time. I know just about every player in the NBA. I talk with them before games, after games, on the sidelines."

Today’s great players bring different attributes to the game, he said, for instance, Iverson, quickness, Shaq, strength, Vince Carter, athleticism and Ray Allen, composure.

"I’ll give you an example," Russell continued with the same line of thought. "I was riding in an elevator with Kevin Garnett and I said to him, Kevin, this is a big moment for me. Here I am, riding in an elevator with a multi-millionaire. Here I am, standing next to a rich man."

Russell cackled loudly. As Bill Bradley wrote in his foreword to "Russell Rules," "The cackle of his laugh epitomizes his joy of living."

Two of his greatest friends have been K.C. Jones and Red Auerbach.

Jones was Russell’s roommate in college at the University of San Francisco. They revolutionized the game, placing more emphasis on defense. "We’d scheme together," Russell said. "We see a guy play and try to figure out the best way to play him.

"I always thought K.C. got a bad deal," said Russell. "In the 1955 NCAA championship game, we played Lasalle in Kansas City. Lasalle had a player named Tom Gola, and he was averaging 22 points a game. So we put K.C. on him, and K.C. held him to 16 points, while K.C., who normally didn’t score much, got 24.
"They gave me the MVP, but it should have gone to K.C."

What Russell didn’t say, characteristically, was that he contributed 25 points and 25 rebounds himself. The team, and his teammates, always came first to Bill Russell.

Auerbach was the man who symbolized Celtic Pride, a cognitive and deeply emotional concept that revolved around teamwork and focused on one goal—winning, Russell said.

"When I joined the Celtics, I’d never been to Boston. When I got there, I had a friend waiting for me and that was Red Auerbach.

"Red was a great leader because of the trust and respect he had earned among his players. It had everything to do with listening," said Russell.

And trusting his players. He had to. In 1966 alone, his final year as coach, fiery Auerbach got thrown out of 22 games including the All-Star game.

"Red had more passion for winning than almost anyone else I’ve ever known," Russell said.

In 1963, when the Celtics were going for a fifth straight NBT title, Auerbach came to practice one day—with his usual pack of cigars in one hand and a new, dynamic play in the other. The coach pronounced the play as the key to the Celtics’ next title.

Auerbach diagrammed the new play and the Celtics practiced it for an hour.

Excited, Auerbach brought the team together and asked them what they thought.

Bob Cousy said it was a piece of crap. Dead silence. Bill Sharman, more polite and articulate, basically said the same thing. Devastated, Auerbach turned to his last hope, his last resort—Russell.

Nodding in the direction of Cousy and Sharman, Russell said, "These are two of the most articulate people I know. How can I improve upon what they say?"

Auerbach dropped the play. He let it go. He listened.

"I still call Red up every three or four weeks," said Russell. "He was 83 last year and is still as sharp and as engaging as ever—same as my father, who is even older.

"The call goes like this: When he answers, I say, Red Auerbach? He says, Yeah. I say, How do you feel? He says, Okay. And I say, See ya."

Another Russell cackle.

Cousy’s last year as the Celtic captain was 1963. Russell and the rest of the Celtics had to make major adjustments in the 1963-64 season to continue what ultimately became a record streak of eight straight NBA titles from 1959-66.

"I knew I had to make adjustments," said Russell, who succeeded Cousy as Celtics’ captain.

"For example, Cousy led the league in assists. K.C., I knew, wouldn’t. Since our potent offense centered around passing, I had to change my game to pass more to ensure the offense kept its flow and motion."

"It may not have been true, but I always thought I was a great passer. Anyway, at the end of the season, I was in the top ten in the league in assists. We had won another championship, and it is acknowledged that the 1963-64 Celtic team was the best ever.

"I agree."

That was the Boston team of Havlicek, Sam and K.C. Jones, Heinsohn, Sanders, Naulls, Ramsey, Lovelette, Loscutoff and Siegfried.

Russell scored 15.0 ppg and led the league with 24.7 rebounds, plus 4.7 assists. The Celtics beat Oscar Robertson’s Cincinnati Royals 4-1 and Chamberlain’s San Francisco Warriors 4-1.

After the Celtics popped the Lakers 10,000 balloons in 1969, Russell had no trouble deciding to retire, unlike many of today’s stars who are reluctant to part with the money and the lifestyle of professional sports.

"I haven’t played a formal game of basketball since 1969. I’ve never wanted to," he wrote in "Russell Rules."

"I always considered my final victory was that I decided when to leave."

 

 

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Bill Russell quoteboard:

 

• "Above all, integrity is your guide. If you tune into it, it will never let you down….It will permit you to act and to live as a winner, no matter what your station in life."
  
  

• When asked during this year’s NBA championship series what the Philadelphia 76ers could do to beat the Los Angeles Lakes, Russell said, "Steal the team bus."
  
  

• "The Celtics have never had a scoring champion, but we’ve had 16 championships."
  
  

• "My advice to young athletes? Have fun. You can never improve and get better unless you’re having fun. Play for the love of having fun and hopefully you’ll win."
  
  

• "In my view, professional athletes are not paid to play, they’re paid to win. If you don’t play to win, don’t take long leases on houses."
  
  

• "The Celtics are the most progressive franchise in the history of American sports."
  
  

• "If there is no peace of mind, there is no peace."
  
  

• "Once a Celtic, always a Celtic. Once a Celtics fan, always a Celtic fan. Once you’ve embraced Celtic Pride, you’ll never be the same. I once said, ‘After I die, I cannot go to heaven. Because after leaving the Celtic locker room, anywhere else is a step down.’"
  
  

• "My father once told me that anyone who worked for three dollars an hour owed it to himself to put in four dollars’ worth of work so at the end of the day he could look any man in the eye and tell him where to go.
  
  

• "My father believed that you could feel a sense of security for giving more than what someone was expecting from you. I took my lead from him."
  
  
  

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Russell’s numbers

 

• Born—William Felton Russell Feb. 12, 1934 in Monroe, La. Family moved to Oakland, Ca. in 1943. Mother Katie died in 1946. Raised by his father, a single parent.
  
  

• Successful basketball career—Played basketball 21 years. His teams won 18 championships in those 21 years.
  
  

• High school—McClymonds High School in Oakland, graduating in 1952. All-State basketball player.
  
  

• College basketball—University of San Francisco Dons, 71-8 from 1954-56 including 55 consecutive victories and NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956. Averaged 20.7 ppg and 20.3 rebounds in 79 college games. First-team All-American twice. NCAA tourney MVP 1955. UPI College Player of the Year in 1956.
  
  

• The fact that the Dons had three black players—Russell, K.C. Jones and Hal Perry—was noteworthy on the timeline of black advancement in sports. Their time at USF came just seven years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier and four years after the National Basketball Association was integrated.
  
  

• U.S. Olympic Team—1956, gold medal. First athlete to win an NCAA championship, Olympic gold medal and NBA championship in same year.
  
  

• Pro basketball—Boston Celtics 1957-69, 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons including eight in a row. Signed first contract for $24,000. Against Philadelphia in 1957, had 32 rebounds in a half, an NBA record.
  
  

• Coaching—First African American coach of a U.S. professional sports team in 1967, when he succeeded Red Auerbach as coach of the Boston Celtics. Won NBA title as player-coach 1968-69. Remains first and only coach to win two NBA championships without an assistant.
  
  

• Jersey number—#6.
  
  

• Honors—NBA Most Valuable Player five times. Played in 11 NBA All-Star games. Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974. Voted Greatest Player in the History of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America in 1980. Named Twentieth Century’s Greatest Team Player by "Sports Illustrated."
  
  

• In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50 ppg, but Russell won the third of his five MVP awards.
  
  

• After retirement—Television sports announcer. Coached the Seattle Supersonics from 1973-77, and the Sacramento Kings in 1987-88. Vice president of the Kings 1988 and 1989. Author of three books. Motivational speaker and member of The National Mentoring Partnership’s board of directors.

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