“That was a bad motherf***er, man” - Nick Wright says Bill Russell understood what it took for his team to win better than any athlete
The NBA's greatest winner, Bill Russell, died Sunday at the age of 88. The basketball icon was one of the most dominant players in league history, setting some unbreakable records.
With 11 championships under his belt, the 6-foot-10 big man holds the record for the most championships won by a player. He achieved all of this in just 13 years, which makes it even more impressive.
Nick Wright recently spoke about the NBA legend:
"He understood what it took for his team to win better than any athlete we've ever seen," Wright said. "His athletic career was not the most important part of his life. It was the off-the-court stuff. But on the court ... that was a bad motherf***er, man."
Even though the NBA analyst did not grow up watching Russell, he knows what he was capable of. After all, no athlete has ever won that many championships in such a short period of time.
Bill Russell is the greatest winner of all time
Bill Russell played in 21 win-or-go home games and had a perfect 21-0 mark in them. He was amazing throughout his entire career, and when it mattered the most, Russell played exceptionally well.
Almost every NBA fan knows that Michael Jordan is 6-0 in the NBA Finals, yet few know that the Boston Celtics legend almost had a perfect record on the biggest stage as well.
Russell ended his NBA career with an 11-1 Finals record, with his sole loss coming in the 1958 NBA Finals against the St. Louis Hawks. The big man was injured in the series and missed two-and-a-half games.
If it wasn't for the injury, the Celtics would have likely won 10 straight championships, and Russell's NBA Finals record would have been 12-0.
Russell's career was fascinating
Unlike many other NBA legends, Russell was not an impressive young player. He was very athletic, but struggled to develop proper basketball skills during his early years.
On the other hand, he was an excellent young track and field athlete. He won numerous high jump titles and was also a standout sprinter.
A track and field star. A civil rights leader. An icon on the court. The greatest champion to ever do it. Rest In Peace Bill Russell https://t.co/jzdMvuusjd
While he wasn't a fantastic basketball player, Russell was one of the toughest young defenders, which is why the Celtics drafted him in 1956.
"The guy came to college, was a track star learning basketball," Wright said. "And as soon as he picked it up a little bit, won two national championships then an Olympic gold medal. Then in a 13-year NBA career made the finals 12 times, won 11 rings."
Russell was a winner at every level, from college to the NBA. He even led the United States national team to a gold medal before his rookie season, which shows how incredible he really was.