NBA'S Greatest - Bill Russell

11 titles in 13 NBA seasons. That's a stat unmatched in the whole of the NBA. Russell ended up as the most successful player in the history of the NBA and formed the centerpiece of the Greatest dynasty in the history of the league. Between 1959-66, the Boston Celtics won 8 Championships in a row, making the Celtics the only team to do so. It is given that the NBA consisted of only 10 teams back then, with the ABA merger not happening till the 1970's. But even so, the league was littered with talented players like Bob Petit, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain to name a few. The rivalry between Boston and the Lakers, and the Celtics-76ers rivalry takes root around the same time. All three of these teams are still regarded as top 5 teams ever assembled, and Wilt, Russell, Baylor and West are top 5 in their positions all-time.

The reason Bill Russell was so special is because of his ability to psychologically and mentally intimidate his opponents. Although not the most physically gifted player, Russell was one of the strongest players mentally and was able to maximize his talents and win by sheer will. Much like Michael Jordan, Bill Russell won games, series and championships by willing himself and his team. Russell is also one of the first African-American players to play in the league, and this came at a time when racism was still prevalent. Russell himself had to face these issues and has highlighted some of them. He then became the first African-American head coach in the NBA, when in the last three years of his career, he took up the player-coach role at his beloved Celtics. After the retirement of Red Auerbach as Head Coach and Bob Cousy's refusal to take up the job, the position went to Russell and his legacy grew even further. Russell would win two more titles as Player-Coach, to end up with the best record for any player.

Russell built his game and his team on the basis of defense. He made the Celtics into one of the strongest defensive units in the league and is one of the first players to lay emphasis on defense. His shot blocking, positioning and strategy worked wonders. He was the pre-eminent shot blocker of his time, and is known as one of the better help defenders of his time. He turned defense into offense in the blink of an eye, giving rise to the famous 'Boston Fastbreak'. Russell was equally notable for his rebounding abilities. He led the NBA in rebounds four times, had a dozen consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds, and remains second all-time in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. He is one of just two NBA players (the other being prominent rival Wilt Chamberlain) to have grabbed more than 50 rebounds in a game. Though never the focal point of the Celtics' offense, Russell also scored 14,522 career points and provided effective passing. It is often said that had Russell wanted to, he could have become an equally gifted player on the offensive end, but he always put the teams need ahead of his own, and spent most of time at the less glamorous end of the floor. His duels with Wilt Chamberlain remain the stuff of legends, and is still regarded as one of the foremost rivalries in the history of the sport.

Russell was also a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a twelve-time All-Star. Before his professional career, Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA championships (1955, 1956). He also won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics as captain of the U.S. national basketball team. For his accomplishments in the Civil Rights Movement on and off the court, Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Russell is one of only seven players in history to win an NCAA Championship, an NBA Championship, and an Olympic gold medal. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was selected into the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, and named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, one of only four players to receive all three honors. In 2007, he was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2009, the NBA announced that the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy would be named the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in honor of Russell.

For all that he accomplished on and off the field, Bill Russell is definitely one of the all-time great players of Basketball.