Why Does Bill Russell Get Overlooked?

[Mitch Henessey]

Bill Russell is definitely an NBA legend. He's an eleven time NBA champion, and he is one of the most, if not the most famous Boston Celtics' players ever. So why doesn't he get same admiration as other Basketball legends? Russell has to be on the list of the most dominant centers to ever play the game, he had a brief tenure as a player/coach, and he was a member of one of the most famous franchises in sports history.

Still, Russell doesn't receive the same praise or admiration as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, or Shaq. Does it have something do with the era in which Russell and the Celtics dominated? Or is it because Russell wasn't a human highlight film(no disrespect to Dominique Wilkins) like Jordan and Magic were? I just always get the feeling Russell gets overlooked by a lot of people, and for some reason, he's not as popular as some of the names I mentioned above.

Do you think Bill Russell is overlooked?

 

[gd]

For sure. He's one of the 2 or 3 greatest players of all time, yet isn't mentioned especially often. That certainly has a lot to do with the era. The level of competiton and general interest in the NBA back then wasn't nearly the same as it was in the 80s and beyond.

He definetly gets overshadowed by Wilt a bit as well, even though he was the superior player when it mattered, racking up the titles while Wilt's career will always contain a hint of disappointment. Even the year when Wilt averaged 50 points, Russell was MVP. That has to tell you something

What Russell did was just incredible though, 11 championships, a few of them as a player/coach, and just some completely ridiculous games stats wise, even for that time period. For example a 30 point, 40 rebound game in the deciding game of the finals, 32 rebounds in a half, and a ton of blocks, which weren't official stats back then.

He was also a great passer, leader, and a teammate that would do whatever it took to win. For my money, he's only behing MJ on the all time list.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

If Russel played in the same era as Hakeem, Shaq, Robinson, etc. he would not be the same dominant center as when he played in the 50s/60s. He would not have 40 rebounds in any game, he would not average 20 rebounds over a season, and he would not have 11 NBA championships. The competition that he played against was simply sub-par. For example, Russel played in the NBA finals against the Syracuse Nationals whose best center was 6'9 Red Kerr. Yeah. Also take into account that Russel played on a team of hall-of-famers. They were the top dogs of the, eight? team NBA.

Russel was a great player, but not one of the greatest of all time.

 

[Big Sexy]

This thread confuses the fuck out of me. Bill Russell is mentioned all the fucking time as one of the greatest players to ever play the game and cases are made for him all the time saying he is one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. I understand creating a thread for overlooked players but Bill Russell sure as fuck isn't one of them. He is one of the greatest players ever and is talked about as such

And 48.7 you are an idiot. Of course playing in a different era his numbers wouldn't have been as good. Neither would Elgin Baylor's or Wilt Chamberlain's. That doesn't take away from their greatness. They are all still right up there in the conversation for best center ever. I know I'm drunk but the stupidity in this thread seems higher then normal.

 

[Big Sexy]

No I'm not. I would rank Shaq, Hakeem, Kareem, Wilt, and Duncan ahead Russel on the all-time list. You have to take the era in which they played into account. (Wilt played towards the end of the same era and was a far superior player.)

Let's look at baseball in the 1800s.

- Matt Kilroy Struck Out 513 Batters in 1886.
You probably thought that Nolan Ryan had the record. Nope. You thought that because you’re an idiot. The most he ever struck out was 383 in 1973. In 1886, Matt Kilroy was a rookie for the Baltimore Orioles and struck out 513 farmers and trolly hobos during the season.

- Will White pitched 680 innings in 1879.
That includes starting and completing 75 games that season for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds played 80 games all season long. He was their pitcher. Last year, Roy Halladay led the majors in innings pitched with 246.

- Hugh Duffy Hit .440 in 1897.
People talk about if they’ll hit .400. And nobody’s done that since Ted Williams in 1941. Last year Joe Mauer won the A.L. batting title hitting 328.

- Tim Keefe Had a 0.857 ERA in 1880.
Zack Greinke had a similar ERA in like 3 starts and he got on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In 1880, Tim Keefe was a rookie with the Troy Trojans and had a 0.86 ERA in 105 innings.

- Charley Radbourn Won 59 Games in 1884.
If Charley Radbourn looks like he could have been in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, it’s probably because that only happened three years earlier. In 1884, Radbourn went 59-12 for the Providence Grays.

Yes because baseball stats are completely relevant to the topic at hand. Obviously the eras are different and no one will argue otherwise but it's nearly impossible to compare the different eras. When it comes to greatest centers of all time Bill Russell is right up there with the best of the best. The difference between Russell and most of the other guys you mention is that Russell was known for his defense and rebounding NOT his offense. He was still a solid player offensively but I don't think you'll find a center in the history of the NBA that was as good as Russell was on defense.

Wilt and Bill Russell were only three years apart in terms of when they played. Wilt was by far the better offensive center, they were about the same when it came to rebounding, and Bill Russell had him when it came to defense. Overall I'd say Wilt was the better center but not by a lot. There really isn't too much of a difference between the all time greats at the center position. Wilt, Russell, Kareem, Hakeem, Shaq, they were all great in their own right.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

And 48.7 you are an idiot. Of course playing in a different era his numbers wouldn't have been as good. Neither would Elgin Baylor's or Wilt Chamberlain's. That doesn't take away from their greatness. They are all still right up there in the conversation for best center ever. I know I'm drunk but the stupidity in this thread seems higher then normal.

No I'm not. I would rank Shaq, Hakeem, Kareem, Wilt, and Duncan ahead Russel on the all-time list. You have to take the era in which they played into account. (Wilt played towards the end of the same era and was a far superior player.)

Let's look at baseball in the 1800s.

- Matt Kilroy Struck Out 513 Batters in 1886.
You probably thought that Nolan Ryan had the record. Nope. You thought that because you’re an idiot. The most he ever struck out was 383 in 1973. In 1886, Matt Kilroy was a rookie for the Baltimore Orioles and struck out 513 farmers and trolly hobos during the season.

- Will White pitched 680 innings in 1879.
That includes starting and completing 75 games that season for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds played 80 games all season long. He was their pitcher. Last year, Roy Halladay led the majors in innings pitched with 246.

- Hugh Duffy Hit .440 in 1897.
People talk about if they’ll hit .400. And nobody’s done that since Ted Williams in 1941. Last year Joe Mauer won the A.L. batting title hitting 328.

- Tim Keefe Had a 0.857 ERA in 1880.
Zack Greinke had a similar ERA in like 3 starts and he got on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In 1880, Tim Keefe was a rookie with the Troy Trojans and had a 0.86 ERA in 105 innings.

- Charley Radbourn Won 59 Games in 1884.
If Charley Radbourn looks like he could have been in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, it’s probably because that only happened three years earlier. In 1884, Radbourn went 59-12 for the Providence Grays.

 

[Khalifa]

He is not overlooked at all. He is considered one of the best of all time and is considered the best centre of all time behind Kareem (and soon to be Shaq).

You are probably are saying this because you don't hear his name as much as you do like Magic or Jordan. This is because he played over 40 years ago. You don't hear people still raving on how good Baylor or West were do you? No. You just simply hear them say that they are the greatest of all time occasionally. The only reason why you still hear Wilt is because of his 100 point game and such.

So I do not believe Russel is overlooked as he is still honoured like he should be.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I think the reason he gets overlooked is because of his demeanor towards anyone other than his teammates during his career. I can understand why he had such a disposition because of the racial tension in Boston during that time but it has still plagued him much of his post-basketball career just like Kareem. It's been hard for Kareem to find a job because of his attitude towards the media. We may think that it doesn't matter much at first glance but an attitude towards those who cover you can go a long way, good or bad.

 

[Big Sexy]

Seriously? Can some one please show me an example of how Bill Russell is overlooked? Because I have a ton of examples that he isn't.

He was on the NBA's 25th, 35th, and 50th anniversary teams. In 1999 ESPN ranked the greatest athletes of the 20th century and Bill Russell was number 18 on the list. Just last year Slam Magazine ranked Russell as the third greatest player in NBA history. And finally, during all star weekend in 2009 David Stern named the fucking NBA Finals MVP award after him. There aren't many greater ways to honor someone then to name a very prestigious award after them.

 

[gd]

Sure, he's on all the teams and whatnot, but when people start talking about the greatest of all time, he isn't immeadiately brought up. It's all about MJ, Magic, Bird, Kobe, Dr. J, etc. When it comes too most fans who follow basketball somewhat closely, he's not overlooked. But when it comes to the casual fan, he's nothing more than an afterthought.

He also gets a bad rap for his era, not being a "scoring" center, etc. It's not like he's completely forgotten, but I can see where people are coming from here. He isn't exactly the most famous or well known guy out there, considering all he accomplished.

 

[Big Sexy]

Sure, he's on all the teams and whatnot, but when people start talking about the greatest of all time, he isn't immeadiately brought up. It's all about MJ, Magic, Bird, Kobe, Dr. J, etc. When it comes too most fans who follow basketball somewhat closely, he's not overlooked. But when it comes to the casual fan, he's nothing more than an afterthought.

He also gets a bad rap for his era, not being a "scoring" center, etc. It's not like he's completely forgotten, but I can see where people are coming from here. He isn't exactly the most famous or well known guy out there, considering all he accomplished.

That's because of the era he played in and nothing more. Casual fans don't bring up any old school names. You can throw Wilt, Big O, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and all those guys back from the late 50's to early 70's. With the exception of "hey that Wilt Chamberlain guy scored 100 points in a game" the casual fans don't bring up any of those names.

Anyone that actually matters when it comes to basketball does bring him up a lot. He is the ONLY player that has an award named after him in the NBA. Not Jordan, not Magic, not Bird, not Kareem, not Wilt. Bill Russell is the only one. You'd be hard pressed to find an honor greater then that.