Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russellis an American retired professional basketball player. Russell played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Associationfrom 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a twelve-time All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty, winning eleven NBA championships during his thirteen-year career. Along with Henri Richard of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, Russell holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth12 February 1934
CityWest Monroe, LA
CountryUnited States of America
Bill Russell quotes about
Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.
If Shakespeare can compare all of life to a stage, maybe it's not odd to believe that part of the play can take place on a basketball court.
If a guy pays you five dollars, you give him seven dollars worth of work.
Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.
You got to have the killer instinct. If you do not have it, forget about basketball and go into social psychology or something. If you sometimes wonder if you've got it, you ain't got it. No pussycats, please.
My most prized possession was my library card from the Oakland Public Library.
A rebounder, or a shot-blocker for that matter, is always at a disadvantage if he tells himself the only way he can succeed is by out jumping the guy next to him. Sometimes he will have to, but most of the time he will not. Most of my rebounds came from positioning, where I was able to get the ball while in heavy traffic.
On females officiating in the NBA -Incompetence should not be confined to one sex.
What distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.
After I played him for the first time, I said 'Let's see. He's four or five inches taller. He's 40 or 50 pounds heavier. His vertical leap is at least as good as mine. He can get up and down the floor as well as I can. And he's smart. The real problem with all this is I have to show up.
To me, the most important part of winning is joy. You can win without joy, but winning that’s joyless is like eating in a four-star restaurant when you’re not hungry. 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.
Remember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you've got him
Friendship is a full-time job.