“Everyone already knew Russell was their best player, why undermine their confidence?” - Bill Simmons says Bill Russell helped Kobe Bryant challenge teammates without undermining them

Bill Russell was the ultimate team leader that everyone in the Boston Celtics willingly followed. [Photo: New York Post]

Bill Russell and Kobe Bryant bonded over basketball despite being stark opposites in their approach to team basketball. The Boston Celtics legend was a quiet, unassuming leader who teammates willingly followed while the other was a brash, loud superstar for the LA Lakers.

Russell’s unmatched success in the NBA naturally made him a source who would attract Bryant. He was the unquestioned leader of the Celtics in his 13-year career and was backed by nearly everyone in the organization.

The “Black Mamba,” on the other hand, regularly clashed with teammates, most notably against Shaquille O’Neal.

On his podcast, Bill Simmons revealed Bryant’s desire to copy, if possible, Russell’s leadership style which had proven to be extremely effective:

“So how do you challenge teammates without undermining them? Kobe was still trying to solve that question 15 years into his career. That’s why he reached out to Russell. But Russell had already given the answers in his autobiography, 'Second Wind.'”

“Second Wind: The Memoirs of an Opinionated Man” was Bill Russell’s autobiography that covered a myriad of things about basketball and life. In the book, the 11-time champion narrated how he allowed his teammates to maximize their skills to make the Celtics better than any other NBA team.

He pushed his teammates to focus on what they, respectively, do best. Russell allowed Sam Jones and John Havlicek to dominate on offense and backed Bob Cousy to dictate Boston’s tempo and set the offense.

I don’t know what to say.

Bill Russell is the embodiment of winning.

One of the few individual standards by which all great athletes in team sports are measured, who also happened to be the greatest teammate ever.

And of course…the laugh:

https://t.co/hTWFFJRS5m

Russell knew his strengths were playing defense, protecting the rim and rebounding. He was arguably the best in his role and made others star in their respective roles as well.

The phrase “Defense Wins Championships” started with Bill Russell.

RIP to a legend of the game. https://t.co/3JwsrEXsbh

Simmons explained why the NBA’s greatest winner never put the spotlight on any of his teammates’ mistakes:

“Russell admitted that their leadership styles were different, proudly revealing that he never criticized a teammate, publicly or privately, not once, not once in 13 years.”

He continued:

“What was the point? Everyone already knew Russell was their best player. Why undermine their confidence? How was that productive?”

Kobe Bryant later acknowledged Russell's unique leadership skills as crucial in helping him win two NBA titles after Shaq.

Bill Russell, like Kobe Bryant, used criticism to fuel his game

Bill Russell and Kobe Bryant were both experts in turning criticism into advantages in how they performed. [Photo: The SportsRush]

Bill Russell played in an era where Black basketball players were subject to constant threats and insults. His success only bred more contempt, sometimes even from Boston Celtics fans.

In one of their several conversations, Kobe Bryant revealed Russell’s answer when asked about his approach to dealing with such a storm:

“I said, ‘How did you deal with it?’ He said, ‘I internalized it. I felt like the best thing I could do was use that as fuel as opposed to just simply have an emotional outburst to them. I decided to use that as energy to enhance my performance’.”

Bryant said about Russell's comments:

“It seems as if he’s tuning out the noise. He isn’t. He’s hearing it, and he’s using it.”

Kobe on the late, great Bill Russell 💜💛💔

https://t.co/Pg0bl9eGyM

In his legendary career with the LA Lakers, Kobe Bryant also used the same strategy to continuously prove his doubters wrong. He had the blueprint of the greatest winner in the NBA to follow, and it helped him enjoy plenty of success.