Bill Russell

Boston Celtics (1956-1969)

USA (1956)

5-time NBA MVP (’58, ’61, ’62, ’63, ’65)

11-time NBA Champion (’57, ’59, ’60, ’61, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’65, ’66, ’68, ’69)

3-time All-NBA 1st Team (’59, ’63, ’65)

8-time All-NBA 2nd Team (’58, ’60, ’61, ’62, ’64, ’66, ’68)

1969 NBA All-Defensive 1st Team (first year all-defensive teams were named)

12-time NBA All-Star

1963 NBA All-Star Game MVP

NBA 75th Anniversary Team

1956 Olympic Gold Medal

Basketball Hall of Famer

Bill Russell is the greatest winner in American team sports history. The man was the anchor of a true dynasty, the likes of which the league will never see again. In his 13 years with Boston, the Celtics won the title 11 times, the last two coming with Russell as the player/coach. But it really isn’t all about the titles. His impact on a game-to-game and play-to-play basis has been rivaled by only a handful of players to ever grace an NBA court. He is the greatest defensive player of all-time and could kick-start Boston’s trademark fastbreak with pinpoint outlet passes. He led the league in rebounding five times and most likely would still hold the blocks record had that statistic been reliably kept during his era. Russell completely changed how the game was played and made his teammates' life much easier.

Not only was he a remarkable player but also a hero in the Black community who championed racial equality and was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in. He dealt with horrible racism and quite frankly unfair treatment from large swaths of both the media and public at large. In the face of it all he stood extremely tall and just kept on winning. There will never be another Bill Russell.

Other accomplishments that didn’t factor into this ranking

His #6 is retired by the Boston Celtics

2-time NCAA Champion (San Francisco)

2-time Consensus 1st Team All-American (’55, ’56)

2-time Helms Player of the Year (’55, ’56)

His #6 is retired by the University of San Francisco