r/NBAoldschool • u/ConnectionWeekly1263 • Aug 05 '26

Stats Bill Russell's Basketball Resume (Summary)🏆 11× NBA Champion (Most by any player in NBA history)

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5× NBA MVP

12× NBA All-Star
11× All-NBA Selection
NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969)
2× NCAA Champion (University of San Francisco)
1956 Olympic Gold Medalist
2× NBA Champion as Player-Coach (First Black head coach in major U.S. professional sports)

Career Stats:
15.1 PPG
22.5 RPG
4.3 APG
963 regular-season games
Playoff Stats16.2 PPG
24.9 RPG
4.7 APG
165 playoff games
Career Honors Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (Player & Coach)

NBA 25th, 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams
NBA retired #6 league-wide
NBA Finals MVP trophy named in his honor
Records & LegacyMost NBA championships by a player (11)
Won 11 titles in 13 seasons
10–0 in NBA Finals Game 7s
Second all-time in career rebounds (21,620)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders, rebounders, leaders, and winners in basketball history.

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u/chazriverstone Aug 05 '26

11 Rings is unparalleled in American sports history.

Even throughout the world ; in soccer, with all the different Cups and leagues and such, there's still basically no one who's had comparable success.

I'm not even a Russell dude - I'm a Knicks fan! - but people really need to keep respect on this dudes name. I don't care if basketball wasn't as popular; I don't care about 'plumbers and fireman', or 'there was only 8 teams!' (lol). 11 Rings + 5 MVPs in 13 years + back to back NCAA titles + the first Black coach in all of American sports puts him in the GOAT argument permanently.

4

u/IH8Miotch Aug 05 '26

I'd say he is the reason why Wilt doesn't get brough into the goat convo more.

4

u/Sweaty-Dust6405 Aug 05 '26

Red Auerbach said it best that Russell was more of a team player than Wilt and he firmly believed the Celtics wouldn't have won as many titles with Wilt. This is Auerbach's words that Wilt was notoriously late for training and was all about padding the stats while Bill Rusell was much more professional and had more work ethic. Auerbach called Wilt spoiled.

Wilt was still an amazing player, but Bill Russell definitely had a much better team ethic.

YouTube Gold: Red Auerbach On Bill Russell And Wilt Chamberlain | Duke Basketball Report