Bill Russell

Bill Russell is one of the most dominant and influential players in NBA history, and his legacy as a Boston Celtic is unmatched. Playing for the Celtics from 1956 to 1969, Russell led the team to 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons—a record that remains untouched. Known for his elite defense, shot-blocking, and rebounding, Russell revolutionized the center position and became the cornerstone of the Celtics dynasty during the late 1950s and 1960s.

Selected second overall in the 1956 NBA Draft, Russell brought a new level of intensity and intelligence to the game. He was a five-time league MVP and a 12-time All-Star, despite averaging a modest 15.1 points per game. His true impact came on the defensive end, where his ability to alter shots and anchor the Celtics’ defense made him the most valuable player on the court.

Beyond his stats, Russell was a fierce competitor and natural leader, often elevating his play in high-stakes moments. In 1966, he became the first Black head coach in major U.S. sports history while still playing for the Celtics. His influence extended beyond basketball, making him both a sports icon and a civil rights pioneer. His number 6 jersey is retired league-wide.

Bill Russell Regular Season Stats

	Season	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TOV	OREB	DREB
	1956-57	48	35:26	14.7	19.1	1.3	0.0	0.0	5.8	10.3	55.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.2	6.5	49.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1957-58	69	38:15	16.6	22.3	1.0	0.0	0.0	6.6	11.2	58.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.4	6.4	52.7	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1958-59	70	43:44	16.7	22.5	2.0	0.0	0.0	6.5	10.3	63.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.7	6.1	59.8	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1959-60	74	42:42	18.2	23.8	2.2	0.0	0.0	7.5	12.7	59.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.2	5.3	61.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1960-61	78	45:08	16.9	23.9	1.8	0.0	0.0	6.8	10.9	62.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	6.0	54.8	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1961-62	76	45:29	18.9	23.6	3.1	0.0	0.0	7.6	12.3	61.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.8	6.3	59.7	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1962-63	78	45:51	16.8	23.7	3.1	0.0	0.0	6.6	11.9	55.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.7	6.7	55.3	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1963-64	78	44:21	15.0	24.4	3.9	0.0	0.0	6.0	11.2	53.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	5.5	55.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1964-65	78	44:39	14.1	24.1	4.8	0.0	0.0	5.5	10.4	52.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.1	5.4	57.5	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1965-66	78	42:56	12.9	22.6	4.5	0.0	0.0	5.0	10.3	48.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.9	5.1	56.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1966-67	81	41:01	13.3	21.0	5.9	0.0	0.0	4.9	9.5	51.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.5	5.8	60.9	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1967-68	78	38:19	12.5	18.6	4.0	0.0	0.0	4.7	9.8	47.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.2	5.9	53.6	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1968-69	77	43:00	9.9	19.2	4.3	0.0	0.0	3.6	7.5	48.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.6	5.0	53.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
		963	42:36	15.1	22.3	3.3	0.0	0.0	5.9	10.6	55.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	5.8	56.2	0.0	0.0	0.0
		963	42:36	15.1	22.3	3.3	0.0	0.0	5.9	10.6	55.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	5.8	56.2	0.0	0.0	0.0

Bill Russell Playoff Stats

	Season	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TOV	OREB	DREB
	1956-57	10	40:54	13.9	24.4	2.1	0.0	0.0	5.4	14.8	36.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.1	6.1	50.8	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1957-58	9	39:00	15.1	24.6	1.7	0.0	0.0	5.3	14.8	36.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.4	7.3	60.6	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1958-59	11	45:05	15.5	27.7	1.5	0.0	0.0	5.9	14.5	40.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.7	6.0	62.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1959-60	13	44:00	18.5	25.8	2.9	0.0	0.0	7.2	15.8	45.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.1	5.8	70.7	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1960-61	10	46:12	19.1	29.9	4.8	0.0	0.0	7.3	17.1	42.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.5	8.9	50.6	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1961-62	14	48:00	22.4	26.4	5.0	0.0	0.0	8.3	18.1	45.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.9	8.1	72.6	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1962-63	13	47:27	20.3	25.1	5.1	0.0	0.0	7.4	16.3	45.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.5	8.3	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1963-64	10	45:06	13.1	27.2	4.4	0.0	0.0	4.7	13.2	35.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.7	6.5	56.9	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1964-65	12	46:45	16.5	25.2	6.3	0.0	0.0	6.6	12.5	52.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	6.3	52.6	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1965-66	17	47:52	19.1	25.2	5.0	0.0	0.0	7.3	15.4	47.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.5	7.2	61.8	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1966-67	9	43:20	10.6	22.0	5.6	0.0	0.0	3.4	9.6	36.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.7	5.8	63.5	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1967-68	19	45:44	14.4	22.8	5.2	0.0	0.0	5.2	12.7	40.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.0	6.8	58.5	0.0	0.0	0.0
	1968-69	18	46:03	10.8	20.5	5.4	0.0	0.0	4.3	10.1	42.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.3	4.4	51.3	0.0	0.0	0.0
		165	45:24	16.2	24.9	4.4	0.0	0.0	6.1	14.2	43.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.0	6.7	60.4	0.0	0.0	0.0
		165	45:24	16.2	24.9	4.4	0.0	0.0	6.1	14.2	43.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.0	6.7	60.4	0.0	0.0	0.0

Bill Russell Best Ten Games (Points)

	Date	Opponent	MIN	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TOV	OREB	DREB
	Dec 17, 1967	Los Angeles Lakers (W)	39:00	37	7	19	0	0	17	23	0.74	0	0	0.00	3	9	0.33	0	0	0
	Mar 05, 1961	Philadelphia Warriors (W)	48:00	37	4	25	0	0	17	34	0.50	0	0	0.00	3	3	1.00	0	0	0
	Nov 14, 1961	St. Louis Hawks (W)	48:00	35	0	18	0	0	13	18	0.72	0	0	0.00	9	16	0.56	0	0	0
	Jan 11, 1968	Cincinnati Royals (L)	48:00	34	0	27	0	0	12	25	0.48	0	0	0.00	10	15	0.67	0	0	0
	Apr 24, 1966	Los Angeles Lakers (L)	48:00	32	4	28	0	0	13	23	0.57	0	0	0.00	6	7	0.86	0	0	0
	Jan 04, 1960	Syracuse Nationals (W)	48:00	32	4	37	0	0	14	30	0.47	0	0	0.00	4	7	0.57	0	0	0
	Oct 17, 1959	Cincinnati Royals (W)	45:00	32	0	23	0	0	12	15	0.80	0	0	0.00	8	13	0.62	0	0	0
	Dec 25, 1958	New York Knicks (W)	48:00	32	0	33	0	0	9	0	0.00	0	0	0.00	14	19	0.74	0	0	0
	Nov 09, 1958	Detroit Pistons (L)	48:00	32	0	18	0	0	10	0	0.00	0	0	0.00	12	15	0.80	0	0	0
	Jan 31, 1958	Philadelphia Warriors (L)	42:00	32	1	33	0	0	14	21	0.67	0	0	0.00	4	7	0.57	0	0	0