The Ultimate Bill Russell Video

A massive compilation of my Bill Russell videos.
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The game of Basketball has been my passion since I was 5 years old. I grew up as a kid watching my dad's recorded VHS tapes of playoff games through the 70s and 80s, and collected all the Basketball cards. Something about the game and what it represents just hooked me from a very young age.
My love for the game only continues to grow as time goes on. I love studying and analyzing the game, with an unbiased perspective. Feel free to subscribe, follow me on social media, and celebrate this amazing game and it's rich history with me!
I post videos every week on NBA history, predictions, hypothetical scenarios and current NBA topics.
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Intro Music: Turn On - RW Smith • Turn On - RW Smith (No... ​​​​​​​​​​
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#nba #basketball #hoops

[@jonnyarnett]

TIMESTAMPS BELOW. Apologies for the Russell Ultimate video being shorter than the other players. Sounds like I need to start working on even more Russell content! Who is a player you’re still waiting for in this Ultimate Video Series? 0:17 Why You Don’t Anger Bill Russell (NEWLY UPDATED) 10:31 The REAL Resume of Bill Russell 17:21 CRAZY Bill Russell Facts 22:56 The Underrated Hops of Russell 24:29 The Top 10 Defenders of All Time

[@gustavsorensen9301]

Bill Russel, for his era, was amazing. But, no way players in the sixties would be great in Today’s era

[@baxterbrown8088]

You need to make more Steph Curry content. Idk if you're waiting for his career to be over before putting his insane stats into context but an amazing video would be Curry's 2021 Season. This season is the spiritual successor to Kobe's 2006 season in every way. After legitimate questions about whether or not he could win without his superstar teammate Steph inherited an absolutely terrible supporting cast & went on to have the best season of his career. Literally nobody talks about how he was just as much if not more of an unstoppable offensive force in 2021 than in his unanimous 2016 MVP Season. Btw with all due respect to Jokic I think this season was a bit of an oversight in your "If MVPs went to the best player" series. Much like the 2006 Lakers, the presence of one of the greatest offensive seasons in NBA history was only enough to get the 2021 Warriors into the 8th seed, which of course because that was the inaugural year of the play in tournament meant they wound up missing the playoffs. But it's a season we can't allow the NBA community to forget & it's totally worthy of a Jonny Arnett Retrospective. Top 10 Shooters in NBA History would be another fun video

[@user-ys9nm2me4z]

Nfl?

[@cliptomaniac2562]

White Mamba

[@kannon1610]

I think some more Jerry West content would be cool! There are some post season scoring stats he generated that weren't matched until Jordan. He was an ultra high impact player and could have had a few more rings if just a few shots had gone his way

[@dalton7726]

Russell having twice as many 30 rebound playoff games as Paul Pierce does 30 point playoff games is one of the wildest stats i've ever heard

[@noybnoyb356]

You forgot to mention that Bill Russell won his last two championships as player-coach.

[@mymountrushmore6235]

Bill is the real Goat. It’s not all about who’s the best scorer or playmaker. He was the best defender ever and he understood his role. Which made him a great leader as well. Him and Tim Duncan have a lot in common

[@No_Budget.Builds]

At the end of the day the ultimate goal in sports is to win. Nobody won more than he did. I dont personally think he is the 🐐 but it is very hard to argue when you win that much.

[@juliothom2408]

I do. The bottom line is to win, and lead your team to victories. That was Bill.

[@marshallbeck9101]

Billy goat

[@Defender78]

To me Russell isn't the greatest player of all time, but he's the greatest team anchor of all time

[@juliothom2408]

@@Defender78Team anchors win games and titles. It’s not about the stats, although he had stats. It’s about the W. Tim Duncan is the exact same type of player. Team anchor for almost 2 decades. His teams were NEVER bad. He NEVER missed the Playoffs. He contended from Day 1 until his final game.

[@coreythomas3633]

@@Defender78 TEAM ANCHOR IS THE GREATEST PLAYER EVER.... WIN CHAMPIONSHIP

[@anthonys3892]

He’s easily one of my favorite players of all time. Severely underrated in all time rankings, I think he’s Top 5 for sure. The things he accomplished and the things he went through while doing so IS unmatched throughout nba history. Imagine a black player playing in Boston in the 50’s and how much shit he had to endure every time he lost. So he never lost.

[@anthonys3892]

Bill Russel, a man raised in Louisiana and later Oakland, says in his book that Boston was the most racist city in the US. That should tell u everything

[@southwest1988]

I love Bill Russell you can definitely learn a lot from his life and his legacy

[@millhousemillard2140]

That clip of Bill Russell running that fast break and jumping over a dude 😱💥

[@jamesmichalek5406]

I read THREE of Russell's books. He doesn't talk much basketball in ANY of them, which I loved!

[@yukondeighton8075]

People don't realize how close Russel was to winning 13 rings in 13 seasons. He almost literally never lost. In year two they lost in the finals 4-2 to a Hawks team with the great Bob Petit. But Russel had an ankle injury that caused him to miss 2 games and play hobbled in the last game. Then, in 1967, it took a 68-win (record at the time) Wilt Chamberlain led team to beat the Celtics. Russel's only playoff series loss where he was healthy and played the full series. He was 27-2 in series'. He was 10-0 in game 7s, most of which were close. He was 7-1 in series' against Wilt. He was 7-0 against the Lakers in the finals. It's just baffling that almost ran the table.

[@southwest1988]

Bill Russell is the GOAT 🐐

[@gustavsorensen9301]

Bill Russell, for his era, was amazing. But, no war would he be amazing, if he played in today’s era

[@legendaryshots4047]

@@gustavsorensen9301grammar left the chat

[@davidkasinskas3822]

No he’s not, Michael is

[@southwest1988]

@@davidkasinskas3822 in the 90s decade yes he ain’t no goat of the 1960s he wasn’t alive then buddy 🤓 Bill Russell has 5 more rings John Hondo has 8 rings Sam Jones has 10 rings Tommy Gun has 8 rings they all have more than Jordan simple math o wait Satch Sanders has 8 rings that way more than 6 rings Wilt Chamberlain only has 2 rings and is the most dominant athlete of all time Wilt is another goat Wilt Bill Russell Kareem Magic Bird Top 5 homie

[@southwest1988]

@@davidkasinskas3822 Bill Russell would block Jordan 10 out of 10 times if blocks were counted in the 60s you would be terrified of the truth of Bill and Wilt

[@MannyMensah94]

Bill Russell, in my opinion, is the second greatest player in NBA history. His resume is unmatched. Great video, though, bro. #BillRussell

[@jamesmichalek5406]

Look past the statistics.

[@brucescott4261]

@MannyMensah94 ...Bill Russell is the greatest winner in team sports, PERIOD!!!

[@mrho4speed]

So glad you made this video = Thanks!! A great example of how Bill Russell must be in the conversation when talking about "goat" type players. Also worthy of mention was his college career where his SF Dons won 2 NCAA titles and put together a 55 game winning streak that stood until UCLA made the streak to 88 games. Bill also won a gold medal in between his senior year in college and his rookie year as a Celtic!!!!

[@celtics17banners84]

THANK YOU JONNY! Was waiting for this one. Hopefully we get a Bird one too

[@southwest1988]

Bill Russell 11 rings 8 in a row nobody even close

[@jackfranzino7887]

Damn, I gotta go to work but ik this is a certified banger. Leaving a like and comment now, ill be back later dw

[@jonnyarnett]

I appreciate it man!!

[@brianschmidt704]

Basketball is very simple. You play to win. Russell was the ultimate winner.

[@theharknetts]

Gotta be the best basketball creator

[@jop3249]

The amount of people disrespecting one the most important men and greatest winners in NBA history in this comment section alone is depressing

[@jakebishop7822]

I legitimately think it is wild some people don't consider him the best defensive player ever. Imagine if Draymond Green was as good as he was on offense in his actual career, but was good enough on defense to be a 5-time MVP, and widely considered a top 1-4 player of his era because of how good his defense is. Imagine how good Draymonds defense would have to be to make him as good of a player overall as Steph. That's Bill Russell. I think saying Russell isn't the GOAT defender is about as crazy as saying Steph isn't the GOAT shooter. My favorite Bill Russell stat is for the people who say he just had amazing teams, and it is that in the games he missed throughout his career his team had a record of 500.

[@neboyshanicolich761]

Bill Russell a great player...top 20 all time for sure.

[@tristanharris8440]

*top 10

[@TheOGHoopByTheBook]

Top 5*

[@coreythomas3633]

HE THE TRUE GOAT DID YA NOT WATCH THE VIDEO

[@theantoinewarrenshow]

Top 3 all time

[@DrJohnnyJ]

If Russell had only played one season, he would have been remembered as a great winner. From his junior year in high school, he won five of six possible championships: Two California state high school, two NCAA (missed as a sophomore), one Olympic and one NBA. He only had to congratulate the opponent twice from the time he was 16.

[@coreythomas3633]

THE TRUE GOAT

[@southwest1988]

Wilt Chamberlain put Bill Russell at 1 the greatest of all time

[@jamesmichalek5406]

Russell put himself there

[@zakwilson6097]

Loving your channel mate keep up the great work

[@dero2430]

Thank you for this video. I didn't know much of Bill Russell and it was hard to appreciate the greatness of a player I knew nothing about. Old Bill beating a team with Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt is pretty crazy. "Those f*cking balloons are staying up there !" is such a great quote and that's the kind of sh*t Larry, MJ and Kobe would have said. You made him go up my list without a doubt. I love that series of "Ultimate" videos, keep em coming !

[@TheOGHoopByTheBook]

Let’s go, excited for this one. One of my favourite players ever and my personal 2nd best player ever. The best winner of the sport and if he’s not in your top 5 tbh idk what you play the game for. Absolute Legend, helped revolutionize the game and society.

[@nathanbraun2067]

Bill Russell took those balloons personally

[@steezsteezsteez]

I literally just finished the docu and open youtube to this video 😂 Your timing is amazing

[@alex4833]

I love this video :). Each of the videos in this compilations are great and it's been a joy to see them again. Russell is one of the players I respect and admire most from NBA history. Before I saw your videos, I mainly associated taking things personally with MJ. It was great learning about how Russell took things personally too. His competitiveness was amazing. His defense is incredible and he was an amazing team player too. 11 rings in 13 seasons - and a perfect record in game 7s. It's mindblowing. I think the ranges you provided for finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year award make sense too. It doesn't surprise me either that Tim Duncan was his favorite player. Like you, I can see a lot of similarities between them, especially in how they're team players with so much success (as well as how both are generally not considered flashy players (though there are some great highlights, like with the leap by Russell), but are so successful regardless). Plus, their defense prowess. I said this when I saw your underrated hops video, but I am still blown away by the clip of Russell leaping over another player for a layup. When you discussed his high jump, it reminded me of how Hakeem played handball, volleyball, and soccer - and how the skills he gained from those sports helped him in basketball. I can see how (from your video) the high jump helped Bill become such a great basketball player. Great list of defenders. It's incredible how the Admiral and The Dream were both so great with stealing the ball (especially Kareem). I agree with having Russell as the best defender though. The arguments you made were all solid. Like i mentioned earlier, I think that the ranges you have for how many DPOYs and Final MVPs would've had if they had these awards during the time he played are realistic. Excellent compilation again. I hope you have a great day, Jonny!

[@emmanuelmondesir8677]

that's why I have Bill #2 all time

[@dgchristensen771]

Great video! Scoring is the easy part of basketball: soccer 1-0, baseball 5-3, hockey 3-1, even football, a 35-28 game is really just a 5 score to 4 score game. Basketball, 110-100 is likely 55-50 (3's offset by 1 pt FT's). Anybody can put up points. It's the people who can prevent points who are special. Yep we don't have a lot of good D stats, even today, but we do have Defensive Win Shares. Everyone thinks both Pippen and Jordan were great defenders. Add their D win shares together. Combined, they're still only in 2nd place behind the real GOAT with 11 rings. Love how you incorporated all of the elements, including Russell's high jumping ability. Kids say he wouldn't hold up against LeBron or Shaq. Chamberlain would have had those two guys for breakfast and Russell won 7 of 8 playoff series against Wilt, including 1969 when nobody thought they had a prayer. Russell's biggest problem is that he's too old for many of these kids to have seen. Jordan was the GOAT of the 1990's, nothing more. Never won anything in the 1980's or until Bird and Magic were at the end - and then the Pistons kicked his butt a few times. Never won a single playoff game against Bird, 0-6, swept twice. Even the Big O in Cincinnati won some games against Russell's Celtics in the playoffs (6-11)

[@jagernavet4468]

Chamberlain had a DOCUMENTED 10000=+ blocked shots in his career, including over 1000 twice. This was recorded by Harvey Pollack, one of the leagues primer statisticians from 1946 until the 1980's. He also recorded many of Bill Russell's games, showing that during a small "sample size" of his career, Russell averaged 8.6 blocks per game. And there are dozens of players you could have put on that list that you failed to even mention. Guards like Jerry West, Walt Frazier, Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan and Dennis Johnson. Forwards like Dave Debusschere, Gus Johnson, Julius Erving, Bobby Jones and Elvin Hayes. Centers like Willis Reed, Sam Lacey, Mel Daniels, Caldwell Jones. Guys like John Havlicek that did it at both guard and forward. Lot's of players that played before the All-Defensive teams were around.

[@kingsalomon6459]

Johnny you should do the ultimate A.I vidéo next !! You’ve made a Kobe , MJ , AI next sound great 🔥💯

[@thegod9364]

This is dope how u did a whole segment on Bill I lik it u should do more like this

[@GoodOmali]

I got Bill Russell as the 5th greatest player on my list. However, he is by far the greatest winner

[@liamhamm]

jonny you make fantastic content

[@JackFlaps]

I admired him as a player and respected him as a man

[@choward5430]

Wilt missed the final minutes because the head coach wanted to prove he could win the title without him. Mind you Bill Russell was not only "done" as a player, he had five fouls! The Lakers were not a cohesive unit in 1968-69. If you look at the 4th quarter tape, with West on fire, there were questionable shots by other players who should have sought out West. By the way, that's a RIDICULOUS block @ 14:42. BILL RUSSELL IS THE GREATEST PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY.

[@atlien1988]

Fans & some media talking heads always mention LeGM or LeCoach, but Bil Russell was a LEGITIMATE player-coach. He's the ONLY player-coach in NBA history to win multiple titles at that! So stop the nonsense by trying to downplay coaching in the NBA. Coaching is incredibly difficult because no matter how much they teach, the players are the ones who must execute!!

[@problyzuited5564]

One’s greatness and playing ability are two different things

[@problyzuited5564]

And wilt was the better player. He proved he could do what russle did

[@oldschoolruler]

​@@problyzuited5564define 'better'

[@jpd632]

Those balloons are staying up there. Say it everyday.

[@user-jy2rw8go1v]

He's like Dennis Rodman with better offense. .. definitely in the GOAT conversation..

[@kannon1610]

YESSS

[@jadenmarsh7928]

He would be the goat with that new resume and no one would touch it

[@ATroubledGreensLibrary]

🎉❤

[@thelowesttreeshavetops3541]

For what basketball means to me, he's the greatest NBA Player of all time.

[@johng4099]

I don't care what anyone says but Russell should be somewhere in everyone's top 5 greatest list otherwise it just feels disrespectful. We can talk about eras all we want but a player can only play who's in front of him & he was the greatest by far of his era. Wilt was the more dominant individual player but he wasn't anywhere near as great of a team player that Russell was. Wilt with the same teams Russell had wouldn't have won 11 rings since Wilt would have taken away from his teammates strengths so he can score 40-50 a game on his own.

[@charlesjohnson536]

IN A 15 YEAR SPAN(LAST 2 YEARS OF CBB 🏀 .. 13 YEAR NBA 🏀 CAREER) 5-TIME NBA 🏀 MVP BILL RUSSELL#6 WON 13 CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆 .. INCLUDING 2 AS A PLAYER-COACH .. THAT'S 🐐 STATUS ..

[@nvm9040]

I would love more Jerry West content

[@alejanoelallen1952]

🏀

[@akshajbali]

ironically the fmvp trophy is named after bill

[@Blackdangerisdangerous]

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🤛🏿👍👍👍👍

[@catherinelynnfraser2001]

This was an epic marketing fail. “Those balloons are staying up there”

[@jarlbalgruuf7701]

Wish we could’ve seen the crazy steals and blocks number from wilt and bill. I bet their records in that area would be untouchable

[@angelosantipas3549]

If you could fix the perfect power forward (rebounds defensive/offensive , blocks, points, assists and steals) would you choose rebounding of Bill Russell?

[@scottbrayton9484]

I consider myself god's strongest celtics hater, but Bill Russell is really hard to hate

[@quirinogarza7381]

"NOT a Juggernaut" just met Lakers 6 times and WON 6 times!!!

[@alexandermendez4653]

The fact that he owned Wilt, by itself, makes him a legitimate Goat candidate.

[@suiken3149]

There was a a story of Bill Russell punching Ray Felix

[@salazar7223]

Ten and oh. Neva been done befoh

[@soulofamerica]

I prefer to honor Bill Russell as the GOAT before summer 1964.

[@joeyamaoyaji8835]

Rodman was humiliated by Larry Bird. Even Rodman admits this…..

[@user-hz9vc6rx9z]

He played in era where nba conposed of only 8 or 9 teams he is 1 of rhe most ivorrated players in nba history alongside lebron james

[@jameslancefield9810]

In todays NBA I'd say it was 70/30 attack to defence. Until the refs change the ratio to whatever Adam Silva is feeling, that particular month.

[@PoliticusRex632]

11 FMVPs? How do you get that?

[@davengeance4811]

If DPOY was given out during Russell & Wilt's time u can bet they'd be fighting over it so maybe 7 is topping out for him, plus there might be the whole voter fatigue factor

[@domorow0301]

First

[@fortnitejake850]

He sounds like a taller Dennis Rodman with a more stacked team

[@RLSmith-jt8qj]

Dennis' defensive impact was nowhere near Russell's.

[@88949597]

Russell purposely never blocked the ball out of bounds. Always towards an open teammate. He literally invented the fast break. He’d intentionally let a guy score at certain points and spots on the floor so to know where he’s going when the games on the line. He had a great team, but all those other HOF all say each every one of them say they won because of him. he was their leader. Rodman went to Vegas during the finals to lock in. Russell refused to play in certain cities if his black teammates couldn’t eat w their white teammates. Dennis partied all night after games. Russell had to speak for an entire community and decide if they should play after MLK had Ben murdered. He didn’t get love for his situation. He was constantly questioned about race, black vs. white, whether a black man could be fair coaching white players. Back then it wasn’t just basketball. It was being called N word and booed and spat at playing in some cities, and that was just something you had to deal with. He was hated in his own home city. His house was broken into and destroyed in Boston. Celtics never sold out while he was there. He only even got to Boston because St. Louis didn’t want him being the face of the team because he was black. And all of this while being respectful, intelligent and unapologetically demanding of respect as a human being and a man. Not knocking Dennis, but Russell was just as fierce and competitive as Jordan. Except he had to deal w all that extra crap All while winning 11 rings just because of his defense. That’s why he’s greater and one of the greatest. Dennis was impactful, but he didn’t have to constantly play and guard the most dominant offense player , and beat him year after year after year. he didn’t take any nights off.. and his only finals loss came from him being hurt in game 7. He personally is 11-0 in the finals. all due to his defense impact. they don’t get there without because they had the worst offense several of those years. Even with the stacked teammates he had Dennis is fantastic. He’s not Bill Russell.

[@ernesthader1109]

Stacked? You call a team that loses everytime russell was injured and can't play, stacked?

[@brucescott4261]

@@ernesthader1109 ...Stupid assumption!

[@alecschuerger6161]

Second

[@williamcorliss3664]

Just wanna help the video

[@diegochavez6203]

When have the Lakers not somehow won a lobsided trade 😂

[@ShewasIwas-biden]

Why does Arnett always post within a few mins of Cosgrove's channel? Always different topics but within a few mins

[@jonnyarnett]

Just a similar upload schedule I guess. This schedule is nice for me, because it allows me to sleep in a bit after a long night of editing

[@davengeance4811]

Respect to Mike but Moncrief has 2 DPOYs

[@brucescott4261]

@davengeance4811 ...CORRECT!!! THANK YOU!!!

[@elementsofphysicalreality]

Great video. Can we talk about how the Bulls won 55 games without MJ and the Lakers lost 56 games without Kobe? 6>5 yes but the better player isn’t 100% who has the most rings. Those 5 have more weight. Better players. Better coaches. Better training. Better health. Better metrics. More difficult competition. Put Kobe on those Bulls and he doesn’t lose.

[@bws0212]

If I could compare Bill to today players,I would compare him to Rudy Gobert,with Bill being the better passer and at fast break.

[@coreythomas3633]

IDOIT RUDY GOBERT DONT HAVE 5 MVPS DAM SHO NOT LEADING NOBODY TO A CHAMPIONSHIP . BILL RUSSELT THE TRUE GOAT

[@bootsy7]

That's an insult to the great Bill Russell

[@soulofamerica]

You forgot the part where the dumbest coach in NBA history chose not to reinsert Chamberlain. He was fired shortly after the game.

[@jamesmichalek5406]

Chamberlain does NOT belong on this list. I'll let someone who knew more about basketball than I knew, period, explain my case. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWi3ZIBtfaqfpZIsi=sCiIbAG608YFGCii

[@sumimasenpanda]

but he did this when the league had only 9 teams and big cities always get better players

[@cashhgenesis]

scottie pippen wasnt the main guy guarding Magic it was Jordan

[@brucescott4261]

@cashhgenesis ...False!

[@anonymoususer2080]

You know ball. That myth got debunked by legendofwinning

[@88949597]

It’s the Babe Ruth situation. 100 years later, is Babe the best player ever? Of course not… but no one will be greater than him at his time. It can’t be held against him he played when he did. You can only play your competition. Bill Russell dominated his competition, especially on the defensive side. People say he had a stacked team, yet they didn’t win until he got there. he set the tone, you take Russell off Boston in the 60s, they don’t beat Wilts teams, or perhaps even the West-Baylor duo. Tom Brady is the greatest because he set the tone. His leadership, his clutch gene. His way to get the most out of his teammates . Derek Jeter is revered because of his leadership. The captain. His lead by example, the clutch gene, his ability to come up big when they need him the most. Most agree with this statement But when it comes to Bill, it’s disrespect at every turn. He played so long ago, basketball was primitive, he played against plumbers and firemen. His stats are horrible. He’d be dominated today. Shoot, most people now have Hakeem above him easily, and somehow, Jokic with one championship is an all time great center, to the point Russell isn’t even mentioned. or he won because he had HOF teammates. why is it Jeter, Brady, even Jordan who usually gets the last laugh w 6-0 finals. Yet Bill never personally lost a finals. his only loss came when he was injured for Game 7. So with a 11-0 finals record, 2 as a coach, and he’s not even mentioned anymore in the convo? Greatest player ever? you have to have him in top 3. Is he the best player ever? no. Is he the greatest winner , leader, teammate, and defender? It’s unquestionable to me. RIP Mr.Russell. real hoop heads know your impact, and recognize your greatness. 💚

[@rzn2258]

Whoever people have as their GOAT is their own opinion. Nobody is right and Nobody is Wrong. Because its a MATTER OF OPINION. I can't understand how some people sit there and argue with strangers about it. You have to be R£T@RD£D not to understand that everyone has their own opinion. Imagine arguing with someone.. because you are trying to convince them to think EXACTLY as you do.

[@iitchydog8770]

Gilbert Arenas dislikes this video

[@choward5430]

American racism fueled Bill Russell. Chamberlain was a celebrity in Philadelphia. There's the difference!

[@joeytheant6731]

Bill Russell true career accolades: 0x MVP, 11x champion, most finals MVPs in history

[@diegochavez6203]

He ain't winning more than 3 dpoy with 30 teams dude was 6'"9 yall wilding

[@jrr3787]

More teams means less talent.

[@RLSmith-jt8qj]

​​@@jrr3787Ben Wallace was 6ft8,

[@TheOGHoopByTheBook]

He was actually closed to 6ft10 since you play with shoes and the measurement was without. Ben Wallace was the 6ft. Also Look at Draymond ? Bill Russell is what Draymond thinks his and a lot more

[@nathanbraun2067]

there's only like 10 good teams now, so it's basically the same shit

[@88949597]

Y’all act like they’d play today in the same flat converse and no equipment as back then. You put anyone in todays era, the have the same training, equipment, medical staff, care and attention payed to their body as the rest of this era. You put Bron in the 50s you think he’s rocking the Zoom Soldiers w the arm sleeve and the rest and diet and training he has now? He’s playing in the same flat Cons, the sa,e train rides, the same old weird ass leather ball, and the same narrow, no 3 dimension curt as everyone else did then. Frankly he wouldn’t even be the same player, because he’d be on the low block, banging w Wilt, Bill , Bellamy & Pettit. Everyone argues their point, but never includes context or simple logic. Ben Wallace locked up Shaq. Rodman locked up Shaq. Barkley grabbed 13 rpg at 6-5, Draymond won DPOY at 6-6, but somehow Russell at 6-9, w speed , agility, vert, and smarts is garbage today why is giving him respect so offensive to y’all saying he’d be trash? What does it do to acknowledge he’d be great no matter the era? because stats are the only thing that counts? If he had 8 official DPOY awards and officially avg 8 bpg and 7 Finals mvps, then he’d get his flowers? I hope y’all keep this same energy when guys like Giannis and Luka are considered mid 40 years from now…

[@SelfResearchedNBAFacts]

Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, Oscar Robertson and Kevin Durant are widely considered top 15 all time players yet they were average at best defenders. People look at offense as way more important than defense but if evaluating and ranking players. It's offense, defense and winning. If Russell was the absolute best at 2 of the 3 then he is continously disrespected. I have him #3 all time behind only Jordan and Kareem because they were both great at all 3

[@coreythomas3633]

BRO JORDAN NOT A BETTER DEFENDER THAN BILL NOT A BETTER WINNER, KAREEM HAS HUGE RESPECT FOR BILL RUSSEL FOR A REASON STOP IT

[@coreythomas3633]

both KAREEM AND JORDAN ARE NOT BETTER AT WINNING AND DEFENSE THAN BILL RUSSELL SOOOOO WHERE DID YOUR LOGIC COME FROM

[@brucescott4261]

​@@coreythomas3633 ...THANK YOU, COREY!!!

[@johnvaughan8239]

Bill Russell was great…for his time. I just don’t think there is any way, if you took him exactly as he was and plopped him into the modern nba, that he would dominate. I don’t even think he’d be one of the top 2 or 3 centers at the moment. Granted, if he was in his playing days now I’m sure he would be a much different player after growing up in modern times. But if you took him exactly as he was, with the same skill set, I believe guys like Jokic and Embiid and Giannis would eat him alive. Again, if he was their contemporary I’m sure his game would have adapted and he would have learned how to play differently so there is no knowing how good he could have been in modern times. But drop 1965 Bill Russell in the league today and he’s probably just another guy, if he’s lucky. The truth is, the overall quality of players in the league today is infinitely higher. Sure, the best players back then could have probably adapted their games to play in most eras, but I’m talking about the depth of talent. Even if you wanted to argue that the top 10 guys back then were just as good as the top 10 guys now (they weren’t; watch some old tape, it’s pretty obvious the skill level is much lower) the main difference is in the next fifty players. Numbers 10-60 in the league today would utterly annihilate their forebears. So the competition night in and night out just wasn’t very consistent. So the bar for the necessary level of skill was much lower. The average field goal percentage for centers in 1964-1965 was 44.7%. This past season there were 21 centers with a FG% of at least 50.6%. So average back then would have you out of the league these days.

[@peterpellechia5985]

Sorry,wilt should be number 2

[@elizidele2916]

Not in my top 20 ever. Obviously he’s great but the Celtics would have done just fine without him and he had way more help than wilt

[@jakebishop7822]

They had a 500 record in the games he missed throughout his career BTW

[@elizidele2916]

@@jakebishop7822 He barely missed any games

[@jop3249]

​@elizidele2916 that is part of his greatness saying he's not t20 is damn disrespectful to the man who is 10-0 in game 7s

[@RLSmith-jt8qj]

​@@jakebishop7822people really have no idea the value a 6ft 9 freak athlete t revolutionized defensive basketball.

[@ernesthader1109]

You're talking about a team that never went to the finals before russell came to the team and never qualified for the playoffs after he retired and loses everytime russell got injured and can't play.

[@Most__Toxic_]

Jonny boy is still a Jordan Stan🙃

[@Amick44]

And your point is?

[@Most__Toxic_]

@@Amick44 you’re 2 months late get off dik

[@uncivilwaterboy0788]

Bill wouldn’t even make a college team today 💀

[@TheOGHoopByTheBook]

Uh Oh Jackass alert

[@88949597]

Right because speed and vert didn’t exist back then. I forgot… but somehow Draymond Green is a HOFer Okay, genius comment. sounds like you really know the game of basketball buddy, or actually sounds like you just don’t care.

[@brucescott4261]

​@@88949597 ...Knock it off!!!

[@brucescott4261]

@uncivilwaterboy0788 ...Stupid assumption.

[@dereksupernaut]

for his career, Bill Russell in the Playoffs averaged 16PPG on 43FG%... Bob Pettit averaged 26PPG on 42FGF%... Walt Bellamy averaged 18.5PPG on 47FG%... Jerry West averaged 29PPG on 47FG%... if Russell was so good why were his Points AND his FG% so low, always playing with Cousy or Havlicek??? fax!!!

[@88949597]

Because he wasn’t needed to score. He was told this from jump. he literally invented the fast break from him always blocking the ball towards a teammate , his HOF teammates all looked to him for guidance and leadership. he didn’t have the points because that wasn’t Bostons team. They didn’t have a go to scorer. Sam Jones 1 year, Heinsohn the next, Cousy early on. The played selflessly and for each other, if Draymond green is revered for his leadership and defense and being the heart and soul of the Warriors dynasty, why is Bills offensive stats held against him? If Rodman is beloved for his commitment to Defense and his offensive game not even questioned, why is Bills a negative? if they won due to his defense, creating easy scoring opportunities for his teammates, why the hell would Bill go score 30 a night? and FG% was low across the league u know that right? The pace was ridiculous and with no 3s teams literally came down a just popped jumpers few seconds in. He didn’t shoot, he didn’t need to, he wasn’t asked to, he did his job which was defined by Auerbach. play defense, I don’t need you to score. by your logic then Draymond green should never ever be listed as the heart of that Warriors team. If Draymond is so good, how come his points and fg% so garbage playing with Steph and Klay? 🤔 You see where I’m going w this right? There two sides of the court, he dominated 1, the way Steph dominated 1. The way Shaq dominated 1, the way Durant dominated 1 side. Dominating the other side only counts when it’s current eras? He owned the defense side, for 11 chips in 13 years. but that’s not counted because his ppg and fg% was low in the playoffs… and still won 8 straight chips as the leader of the team. Beating the most dominant offensive force ever seen statistically in Wilt. Wests numbers were insane come playoffs, and still lost… to Russell. I’m not seeing where any of his offensive game matters…

[@dereksupernaut]

​@@88949597 WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH FG%, IF THE DEFENSE KNOWS YOU ARE NOT SHOOTING YOU SHOULD SHOOT A REALLY HIGH FG% LIKE MODERN BIGMEN... if you don't need to score how good are you in a game where both sides score around 100 points per game??? you seem to imply he was on really good teams and was the ultimate role player which has nothing to do with being the GOAT... Draymond Green??? i thought Russell was competiting against MJ and LeBron and Kareem... his offensive game matters in the GOAT debate, MJ & Olajuwon dominated both ends of the court while Russell struggled to score... fax!!!

[@brucescott4261]

@dereksupernaut ...Defense wins, PERIOD!!!

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

Kobe bad shooting average 44% his NBA career! Kobe Bryant have the most missed shots in the NBA history! Allen Iverson bad shooting 42%! Pete Maravich bad shooting 43,8% both collage and NBA!

[@zstrikerlol]

Did any of those guys beat him tho?

[@diegochavez6203]

😂 he played when tere were 8 teams in the league had the best team around him and had no offense yea hes great for the game but hes not rhe goat stop it

[@jrr3787]

More teams means less talent.

[@88949597]

So you agree Draymond Green is trash right? Because he had the best team, the greatest shooter, and no offense at all… and is shorter, but somehow is a HOFer and the reason the warriors dominated because of his leadership and effect on his teammates? But he’s not in the GOAT convo I’d guess is your argument. So what your really saying is offense matters most in that convo? Cos that’s Wilt. Is it Rings? Cos that’s Bill. Is it both? Cos that’s Kareem. Is it MVPs? Cos that’s Kareem. Is it finals record? Cos that’s Bill. Or are you basically saying I didn’t see him, and there’s hardly any film, so it doesn’t count? so it’s harder to win now, then back then? Cos you know guys were playing the whole game every game. Wasn’t no resting, wasn’t to air travel, wasn’t no training, wasn’t no guaranteed contracts, wasn’t no 30 mpg. So every advantage ppl have today, he’d have as well playing today, and if his stats would be lesser today because of all that, then isn’t players today less because they have those perks? If you don’t think is in the convo that’s fine, I’m just pointing out there’s no logical reason to say he’s not other than opinion. every argument against those guys then can work for them as well. To me, holding it against someone who played when they did, is so ridiculous. Because 40 years from now, Bron, Giannis, Luka, Steph all gonna be plumbers to that future generation. And if you argue they won’t, then you can’t argue Bill isn’t. that’s pure logic to me

[@jrr3787]

He is irrelevant. He plays in a watered down trash league, so of course, he's trash. @@88949597

[@brucescott4261]

@diegochavez6203 ...Every game was like a playoff. You weren't even born. So, do you care? You know anything about the sport to begin with. Russell's number is officially retired, PERIOD!!!

[@problyzuited5564]

Bill was as great as Wilt The Goat And Kareem. Mj bill Shaq Hakeem Kobe bird magic grant hill penny hardaway Rodman Ben Wallace Jerry west George Mikan and I think Steph curry has a strong argument and oh Lebron

[@vanguardas9927]

I still do not respect Bill Russel. He's Jaren Jackson Jr at best if he played in today's game. He dominated a bum ass League. Bob Cousy a former MVP of this era wouldn't even sniff an NBA court today. I'm sorry but that's just facts.

[@jackfranzino7887]

You should consider adjusting your expectations. 1) the Lakers were still a great team clearly capable of winning, pushing series to 7 multiple times 2) You’re severely underrating the playmaking of Bill (along with how much better at defense Bill was against his peers vs JJJ) 3). Unlike other players who might showboat/swat shots into stands, Bill always looked for transition offense He also won multiple rings as the first Black coach (while playing). Yes he had great teammates. So did Wilt. Bill just got the best out of his teams. You gotta respect that

[@jackfranzino7887]

Also consider the eras. Todays generation is spoiled with their privilege. Especially access to all information at our fingertips. Todays athletes can just look up the best routines, follow it consistently, and obviously improve dramatically over time (especially if given proper training equipment + nutrition). If athletes of prior generations had this then it’s a whole different conversation

[@clintstewart5545]

do you understand the game has to start somewhere and keeps evolving that's like someone from 50 years from now saying lebron was a bum because he played with weak players , respect the past as well

[@oldschoolruler]

That just shows that you don't know ANYTHING about the game...

[@brucescott4261]

@vanguardas9927 ...Ignorant!

[@dominicharris5489]

The most overrated basketball player in the history of the NBA. Will always have respect for him though

[@user-ys9nm2me4z]

NFL?

[@dominicharris5489]

@@user-ys9nm2me4z damn mybad nba**

[@RLSmith-jt8qj]

Only to people that don't understand how valuable defense can be

[@dominicharris5489]

@@RLSmith-jt8qj scoring is the most important aspect of basketball and he was beyond underwhelming and far less than average in that department, along with many other reasons he was simply overrated. He can be great on defense and still overrated.

[@RLSmith-jt8qj]

@@dominicharris5489 if the most important aspect is scoring then the 2nd most important is stopping teams from scoring which he was elite at.

[@donshults7772]

For defense, Alvin Robertson, Michael Ray Richardson, Mo Cheeks, KC Jones, Jerry West, Chris Paul, Hondo...

[@brucescott4261]

@donshults7772 ...The list is endless! Defense wins championships, and more! Russell is on top of the list!