The NBA legend, 87, has listed his $2.6 million home on Washington's Mercer Island with Eddie Chang of Realogics. A lot of times I'm completely wrong, but all you do is back up and start over. Steve Brown (born 1962), darts player. His calling card was defense, rebounding, andabove all elseshot blocking, which he transformed into a fluid athletic art in the same way that some of his contemporaries had altered the perception of what was possible on offense. Copyright 1996 - So, I got the clubs out and they were right-handed. I cherish those times.. All-Star ballots were on paper then and distributed in arenas; Michael Jordan was the leading vote-getter with just over 1 million votes. Copyright 2023 TheAssociated Press. One of the most complete and valuable single-player collections of sports memorabilia scattered to new ownership on Friday night as Hunt Auctions wrapped up its sale of Bill Russell's personal collection. firefighter, wildfire, fire, information | 3.1K views, 15 likes, 6 loves, 8 comments, 13 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from CAL FIRE NEU: September 20,. His Hall of Fame career started on the national stage in college, where he won two national championships and 55 games in . Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute. Bill Russell died Sunday at age 88. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Worse, the N-word. During his career, Russell supported the American civil rights movement, spoke out against the Vietnam War, and did much that, had it come from any lesser athlete, would have been cause for immediate controversy. Players, including Russell, who won an NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal and an NBA title. There are expectations because of that. Count Basie - jazz musician and bandleader. The idea is not to block every shot. And so, to do this took thought, planning and discretion and intelligence. Bill Russell on the 2nd season of the Feherty show, Fashion looks on Day 1 of the 150th Open Championship, Photos: 86th Masters Tournament, Par 3 Contest. On April 18th, 1966, Bill Russell was named player-coach of the Boston Celtics upon Red Auerbach's retirement. Bettmann/Getty Images. I grew up idolizing him. The idea is not to block every shot. But if those souvenir hounds had taken Russell up on the chance to sit with him for a meal, they might have heard about his obsession with golf. When he finally bought himself a left-handed set, Russell scratched his competitive itch in matches against friends. No one dominated on defense, won titles like Bill Russell, Morant to miss two games after video with gun, Curry, Iguodala probable to return vs. Lakers, Sources: Suns hiring Pistons' Bartelstein as CEO, Grizzlies' Clarke tore Achilles, out for season, Kerr touts 5-0 homestand: Dubs 'turned a corner', KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Sources: Dragic joining Bucks for rest of season, Nets filling out big-man depth with Noel signing, The paths of KD and Kyrie: How one month changed three franchises and two superstar legacies. The entire season has been a tribute to Russell, with all teams putting his No. If you can take something to levels that very few other people can reach, then what you're doing becomes art. 1984 Andy Hayt for. Sterling K. Brown (born 1976), actor. He won 11 NBA titles in the 13 seasons that he played with the Boston Celtics, and he became the first African American coach of a modern major professional sports team in the United States when he was named the player-coach of the Celtics in 1966. Frustratingly, his sheer basketball excellence made his actions not only excusable for fans but tolerated in a way that bordered on dismissive. The announcement was posted on his verified Twitter account. There are too many reasons why that wouldnt work now. championships, the final two when he became the first Black head coach in a major American sports league, died on Sunday. This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell. He also has an average of 22.5 rebounds per game in regular seasons. Si vous souhaitez personnaliser vos choix, cliquez sur Grer les paramtres de confidentialit. There were five player-coaches in the 1960s and Russells former teammate, Bob Cousy, even came out of retirement to hold those dual roles for one season with the Cincinnati Royals. He had an interesting concept with me as a rookie, Smith once said on Open Court. Curiously in Russells first season as coach, the Celtics didnt win the title. Later that year the Celtics beat the Hawks in the NBA finals to give Russell the first of his 11 titles. Russell, outspoken and relentlessly intelligent when it came to matters of race, was not just the NBAs first Black superstar; as the Celtics quickly came to dominate the NBA, he also became an activist on par with Muhammad Ali. Instant access to the latest news, videos and photos from around the world of golf. Now, Silver is the NBA Commissioner. Makes a great gift for any collector or sports fan! Sale beg Bill Russell, Boston Celtics Legend and the NBA's Ultimate Winner, Dies at 88. My most prized possession was my library card from the Oakland Public Library. The NBA family just learned this afternoon that Bill Russell, the 11-time champion and Hall of Fame icon of the Boston Celtics, who used that fame to further the civil rights cause in the. Russell, however, wasnt at all eager to break in his new set. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports. His current wife is Jeannine Russell. Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. Speaking recently from his home in Maui, Nelson also in the Hall as a coach said the arrangement with Russell was ideal.. On Saturday, Sept. 11, Russell will be enshrined for a second time alongside Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Chris Webber, Ben Wallace, and more. Golf Channel, All Rights Reserved. And thats what made Bill Russell great. Speaking with GolfChannel.coms Rex Hoggard in 2014, just months after undergoing open-heart surgery, Russell explained how he got started in golf. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), Here's when Joe Mazzulla got 'worried' during the Celtics' biggest collapse of the season, 6 takeaways as Celtics blow 28-point lead in loss to Nets, Mikal Bridges helps Nets rally to stun Celtics, 115-105. "At 75, Russell still casts long shadow over All-Star circus" by Mark Woods, www.theguardian.com. He supported Muhammad Ali when the fighter refused to go to Vietnam. By the end of his career, however, Russell himself had come to see the turmoil of the 1960s as far more important than the silly little game he played for a living. Or expensive cars with souped-up sound systems so he could blare the music of Laura Nyro, Janis Ian, or Crosby, Stills and Nash some of his favorites. 1 pick and took Pervis Ellison in a draft that didnt have a top guy. Nelson said Russell wasnt strict or over-the-top demanding; quite the contrary, actually. Russell was married to his college sweetheart Rose Swisher from 1956 to 1973. Sam Schulman, who owned the fledgling Seattle SuperSonics, wanted to energize the franchise and turned to Russell for the 1973-74 season. Red Auerbach managed to beat everyone and everything except the grind. Jerry Reynolds, who served a variety of roles with the franchise for nearly three decades, was one of Russells assistants then. As a coach, hed be a complete neophyte whod also double as a player. Ben Wallace joins 9 inductees headed to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Russell also became the first Black coach in any American professional team sport. The Boston Celtics patriarch decided to finally step down as coach in 1966 but not before chatting up the person he always consulted with whenever it was about something big. The NBA back then wasnt the complicated, detailed and hierarchy-layered machine it is today, where coaching candidates go through a gauntlet of executives and a battery of tests to dissect their smarts and strategy and fit for the job. Russell took a liking to the young team and was hooked on the city of Seattle, which he found more welcoming to Black athletes than Boston. Reynolds summed up the Bill Russell coaching experience in Boston, Seattle and Sacramento with this: Were all flawed and he had his flaws, but I have nothing but respect for Bill Russell. But the second part of the equation is what are you going to do about it. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The clubs that Nikola Jokic might be on the cusp of entering are highly exclusive. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. And so was his personality, as great as he was in basketball.. Take away all the on-court accomplishments, and Russell still lived a life. It did not come easy. But the Celtics kept winning, and he remained the engine that made them go. No pussycats, please. The rewards, where they worth it? Granted, it was in part because no one could deal with the moody Russell except Russell himself, but it still made him the first African American coach in NBA history, as well as the first to win a title when Boston took the 196768 championship. He was not forgotten. While I had read about his strength and his seriousness, what I saw with my own eyes was his happiness and his humor. I know all these guys and theres no point to that., Don Nelson, one of the few surviving members of those Russell-coached Boston teams, enthusiastically confirmed Russells ability as a coach. There is no greater champion than Bill Russell. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar edges them with six MVP seasons. Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. For some reason David and his producer have never . One such round during Jordan and the Bulls heyday produced one of the best smack-talk stories and making the tale even better, Jordan, for once, was on the receiving end. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. It was either his first or second All-Star Game he couldnt remember and he and the other competitors were gifted sets of golf clubs. Howard Beck. He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players, and made possible the success of so many who would follow, Obama said that day. The Lakers social media post, they posted the one with my whole family on there that I actually posted I believe yesterday or the other day," James said. He needed work the most money he made with the Celtics in a season was $100,001, the extra dollar because he wanted that much more than Wilt, the highest paid player at the time. Before I get into the interview I have one small nitpick about the show. To him, the best moment within that moment was the reaction of his daughter Zhuri to the record-breaking jumper earlier this month. This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell. I was not immediately good at basketball. Feb 12, 2021, 1:30 PM. He was great. It's a sad day for basketball fans everywhere as the great Bill Russell, the winner of 11 NBA titles in his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday at age 88, his family announced on . Hill spoke of how he had heard plenty about Russell his commitment to social justice and civil rights, an unwillingness to be deterred by threats, and his pride in standing alongside other athletes committed to the same, everyone from Muhammad Ali to Colin Kaepernick. After the second title, Russell was finished. He missed out on the NBAs Rookie of the Year award, ostensibly because teammate Tom Heinsohn had played the entire season whereas Russell had missed time as a result of his participation in the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games (where he helped the U.S. mens basketball team win a gold medal). Joy is a current of energy in your body, like chlorophyll or sunlight, that fills you up and makes you naturally want to do your best. Mercer Island, Washington (WA), US. There was a huge crowd of fans on the floor for the halftime show. In 13 seasons, Russell won 11 NBA championships (1957, 195966, and 196869). Everybody knew when William Felton Russell was in the room, Erving said. Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. It didnt get any worse than that. Case in point: The apparent invasion of raccoons into Reading, Massachusetts around 1958. Both of these are second. The Black and Red courses at PopStroke Glendale are now open in Arizona. He led the league in defensive win shares in 11 of his 13 seasons, including 10 straight from 1958 to 1967. Voting is electronic now; LeBron James got about 8 million votes this year. Homes - Celebrity - Sports - Basketball. Bill Russell, one of basketball's legendary players, has died at age 88. Today, some of those same people are calling him the G.O.A.T. 2023 Parrish Baker - cartoonist. According to Russells book Second Wind, Russell asked for terms considered outrageous then. There was no tearful good-bye, no press conference, nothing like that. Hes Bill Russell. He was kinda like Bear Bryant. He also was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. I dont wanna sit next to the coach the whole bus and the plane rides and everywhere. In 1964 they became the first team in the NBA to start an all-Black lineup. I immediately put them in the garage, said Russell, who didnt retrieve them for years, until after he had hung up his basketball shoes. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en cliquant sur le lien Tableau de bord sur la vie prive prsent sur nos sites et dans nos applications. Nelson said: He played so many minutes and played so hard that he developed hamstring issues. That last title was so hard, it was in L.A. and everything was against us. Abdul-Jabbar called Russell my friend, my mentor, my role model. He was 14 when he first met Russell and the initial greeting wasnt overly friendly; the Celtics were using the gym at Power Memorial in New York, Abdul-Jabbars high school, for practice. afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss en fonction de vos profils de centres dintrt; mesurer lefficacit des publicits et contenus personnaliss; et. Bill Russell. You got to have the killer instinct. So there was no reason for him to yell at anybody.. Among the many in attendance: retired skiing great Lindsey Vonn, EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winner Jennifer Hudson, actor-director Spike Lee, retired baseball star Albert Pujols, tennis standouts Frances Tiafoe and Naomi Osaka, snowboardings Shaun White and, of course, Utah Jazz Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. His rookie deal was $24000. Russell was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1955. Bill came into a situation that wasnt a very good one. 6 in honor of the recent passing of legendary Boston Celtics championship center Bill Russell, the Heat eventually will have . SALT LAKE CITY (AP) This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell. Wilt Chamberlain entered the NBA for the 1959-60 season and began an epic 10-year rivalry with Russell. Hes still second on the NBAs all-time rebounding list, behind only Wilt Chamberlain, and will probably be in that spot forever since nobody has come remotely close to him in the last 50 years. Russell took home one more championship before hanging up his sneakers for good in 1969. As good as he was game in and game out, Russell found a way to perform even better when the stakes increased for the playoffs. (Stan Badz/PGA Tour, Bill Russell rolls a putt at the 2000 Doral Ryder Open in Miami. Russell, the greatest winner in the history of team sports, died Sunday at 88. Several players were on the court for the performance, including Pascal Siakam and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion as a player and coach with the Boston Celtics and one of the most important figures in NBA history, has died at the age of 88, his family announced Sunday.. If he was out dining and got approached by someone asking for his signature, Russells usual response was to instead ask the person to join him at the table to have a conversation about life. His conversation with Bill Russell, from various accounts, went like this: Bill, you think Cooz (Bob Cousy) would be a good coach? Like. Bill Russell Salary During the era Russell played he was one of the top earners of the league. To me, the most important part of winning is joy. This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell, The Great Bill Russell Remembered at NBA All-Star Weekend, Post Malone performs before the NBA basketball All-Star game Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, in Salt Lake City. They won just 48 games and werent the favorite heading into the playoffs. He was a frequent participant in charity golf events and various pro-ams, including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. Saw no point to them. Over 400 items from the Hall of Famer's career hammered to a close during a live finale at TD Garden in Boston, with over $7.4 million in . Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them. All rights reserved. Moreover, the Celtics needed to move up in the draft order to pick him; with Russell coming off two straight NCAA titles, some team was bound to take the plunge. So hes sitting down, hes reading the paper, and all of the sudden I look over and you see him sleeping at practice. Tags: Associated Press, sports, basketball. His death was . Pin. Russell could very easily have never taken up basketball, much less gone on to become one of the sports immortals. Bill Russell is unimpressed. (Tom) Heinsohn? And at Sundays Legends Brunch one of the best events of All-Star weekend, not to mention one of the toughest tickets to secure Russell was honored with remarks from Boston All-Star Jaylen Brown, former on-court rivals Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hall of Famer Grant Hill. I dont think youll live long enough to get either one of those., Getty Images Russell would not stand for racism in sports, which was ironic, given Bostons historical notoriety in that department. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? And in Bills case, he was the leader of the Celtics from the time he joined the team and the main reason they won all those championships., There was another unusual Celtics arrangement with Russell thats totally foreign now: He didnt have any assistant coaches. Bill was 88 years old when he died. At an agile 6-foot-9, the Hall-of-Famer was a late-comer to golf. Russell won more NBA titles than any player in history.. It is a truly staggering rate of success, one that no other NBA player has come close to approaching. Over the years, Russells approach became the teams overall philosophy as athletic players who saw defense as a means to key the fast break were introduced into the roster. He didnt shut up and dribble. (Video: Reuters) He was a fully dimensional . Russell was reading The New York Times, and Celtics coach Red Auerbach suggested he meet the player then known as Lew Alcindor. Yet somehow, Russell won his 11th ring after Boston took a thrilling Game 7. Being fearless on the basketball court was easy. Burt Bacharach - pianist and composer. Russell, who died Sunday at the age of 88, won 11 NBA titles, two NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal during his career as the defensive force and the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1960s. (Marc Andrew Deley/Getty Images), Bill Russell chats with actor Kevin Costner at Spyglass Hill during the first round of the, Bill Russell chats with actor Kevin Costner at Spyglass Hill during the first round of the 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif. (John G. Mabanglo/AFP via Getty Images), https://golfweek.usatoday.com/gallery/photos-bill-russell-nba-hall-of-famer-golf/, Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America, Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Top 50 Modern Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, James Hahn is mad as hell about the changes coming to the PGA Tour and he isn't afraid to tell you why, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational: Three of the world's top 20 among the players to miss the cut, Best golf balls for 2023 for every budget and playing style, Best irons for 2023 for every handicap and playing style, Friday at Bay Hill: Jordan Spieth's putter wakes up, Jon Rahm takes a step back among notes from Day 2 at Arnold Palmer Invitational, Putters used by PGA Tour players ranked in the top 10 in strokes gained putting, Photos: 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational merchandise tent is fit for a king, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. It just didnt go well. Bill Russell had a more than successful transition from star player to player-coach. LeBron James always said that he wasn't chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record, so there was no sense of relief when he actually took over the top spot on the NBA points list. Bill Russell was one of the greatest winners in the history of basketball. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He had such curiosity about human nature, about psychology, Branch said. Bill Russell: Legend begins in July 2022 with Russell's death, before charting a very linear course through his life, from his birth in Louisiana to his move to Oakland as part of the Great . He defined the teams philosophy and its strategy. Her husband Bill died peacefully at her side at their Mercer Island, Washington, Home on July 31, 2022. Back then, he was special assistant to Commissioner David Stern. Images from the Par 3 Contest held Wednesday at Augusta National, home of the 86th Masters Tournament. The great Bill Russell remembered at NBA All-Star weekend By TIM REYNOLDS February 19, 2023 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell. The centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty who earned 11 NBA titles during his career was 88. To his surprise, Schulman agreed to all of them. Bill Russell (1934-2022): Sports world mourns | Russell, the activist. And on Sunday, the world lost an absolute legend. But it worked for me and Bill because as players we had the respect of our teammates. If you do not have it, forget about basketball and go into social psychology or something. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Bill Russell, the inspirational leader and dominating basketball superstar who led the University of San Francisco to back-to-back national championships and 11 NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics, passed away on Sunday morning July 31, his family announced via social media. Every day we present the best quotes! Today, a typical team might have seven assistants (who cant fit on one bench together), each with specific duties. His mind was bigger than basketball, author Taylor Branch, who spent about a year living with Russell near Seattle in the 1970s while working with him on a book, said Sunday. Bill Russell is saying goodbye to his Washington home after nearly 50 years. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. I never was that good anyway.. He said, Young fella you gotta sit next to me. Im like, Why do I have to sit Because hes a loser, hes a loser, hes a loser, and theyre never gonna win.. Even the Boston Red Sox an organization steeped in racism had the nerve . Omissions? Russell had a staff of one. He stood for what he believed, stood with who he believed in. Saw no point to them. Stay up to date with everything Boston. So did Russell. NBA legend Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and the first Black head coach in the league, passed away Sunday, July 31, according to a family statement from his. Bill Russell (No 6) scores for the Boston Celtics against the St Louis Hawks in 1957. She finished 64th at the Canadian Women's Tour in British Columbia and 19th at the . I have tried to apply that approach in my modest career as well. The 2021 enshrinement ceremony will be held Sept. 11. If yall wasnt so damn boring I wouldnt be sleeping here!, Bill Russell Told Michael Jordan to His Face That His Celtics Played in a Tougher Era Than Did MJs Bulls. The Hall of Famer was 88. Share. Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions. He recorded a winning record in five of his first seven seasons as a head coach, so when he started losing games in bunches in Sacramento, he began to lose interest. "And if you think that wasn't enough, then we had another seven games against them in the playoffs, if it went seven games. That was the most ever for an All-Star Saturday night, the league said, and the figure is obviously just going to keep rising. If he was out dining and got approached by someone asking for his signature, Russell's usual response was to instead ask. The autograph-seekers almost always declined. There is nothing miraculous about the process. Fellow NBA great, Steph Curry, former President Barack Obama and more famous figures in the sports world and beyond, took to social media following the news of Russell's passing. Essentially, the player-coach signaled for any substitutions from the floor and drew up strategies during timeouts, as any coach would. Being a player-coach, unheard of today, wasnt exactly a novelty then. The meaning of it all definitely registered with Russell, a man of great pride, and how he was put in position of authority and placed in charge of a Celtics team with five white players and six Black players (not counting him). Aug 16, 2022. Yet in a sport that traditionally celebrates scoring and offensive heroics, Russell was an anomaly: a dominant player for whom making shots was truly secondary. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you've got him. Fast-forward to today, we havent been to the playoffs for the last 15 years around here so maybe people understand that a bit better now.. Dr. A's weekly risers and fallers: Jeremy Sochan, Christian Wood make the list, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West. We all had so much respect for the guy and we did whatever he wanted us to do, and do it best you could. Auerbachs lineup came out of necessity; he was notoriously indifferent to social causes and the opposing backlash. Thats the lesson. The high score would be 160.. Evidently, he was getting bored and probably felt he wasnt being challenged enough, so he decided to take a bigger role with the team by becoming the head coach while still remaining on the roster. Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. In 1956 Red Auerbachthe Celtics head coach and general managertargeted Russell in the NBA draft, seeing the solution to his teams shortcomings. Russell at 34 wasnt dominant and the league saw younger big men Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, Nate Thurmond among them challenge Russell nightly. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. But now she has been passing from the deep pain of her husband's death. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. "Today we lost a . Seasons in which Russell was league MVP, tying him with Michael Jordan for second all-time. Russell, who propelled the Celtics to 11 N.B.A. It wasnt until after his playing career ended, though, that he took up golf. ), Russell did listen to his players and took their opinions and advice to heart. Jeannine was with Bill when he passed away on July 31, 2022. Credit: Instagram/realbillrussell. You will love this sale! Bill Russell and David Feherty have a great interview on the set of Feherty, In the middle of a conversation, Bill Russell and David Feherty on the set of Feherty, Bill Russell and David Feherty discuss topics while filming Feherty, David Feherty interviews Bill Russell for the new season of Feherty, The camera crew mics up Bill Russell and David Feherty before filming Feherty, Bill Russell while speaking to David Feherty on the set of Feherty, David Feherty interviewing Bill Russell on the set of Feherty. By the 1966-67 NBA season, Russell had already won eight championships with the Celtics in nine seasons. Bill was also the general manager, he had the No. The NBA Hall of Famer, considered by many to be the sport's greatest player (and certainly big man) of all-time, is best known for winning 11 championships. Bill Russell, the NBA's greatest champion as a player and its first Black coach, died Sunday at 88, leading those inside and outside the basketball community to remember his storied career, his. What are you going to say to your team when youre down 40? Counting the regular season and the playoffs, Russell's Celtics were 86-57 against Wilt Chamberlain's teams, for a .600 winning percentage. Not only was this weekend the 30th anniversary of Utahs first time hosting the All-Star Game, but it was also the 30th anniversary of Adam Silvers first All-Star Game as part of the NBA. After the operation, it took months for Russell to get back to playing. Looking at 5 key stats heading into Saturday's clash between top East teams Philadelphia and Milwaukee. I didnt even know that all that time., For The Record: Champion and mentor, Bill Russell.