There is no player in American sports history aside from Bill Russell to win 11 championships in 13 years. That type of production earned him a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. Saturday, however, he goes in as a coach as well. Russell is now just the fifth player to get a spot in the Hall as both a player and a coach, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Himmelsbach spoke to some of Russell’s former players.
They described his coaching style as free-flowing and open to ideas. He would often listen to his other players if they had a suggestion.
Bill Russell gets @Hoophall jacket for coaching. pic.twitter.com/5QH4RgwI1D
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 11, 2021
“If someone had an idea in the huddle, they were free to speak up,” former Celtics forward Rick Weitzman told Himmelsbach.
“And he listened and took in what was being suggested. If he liked it, he’d go with it, and if he didn’t, he wouldn’t. He made the final decisions, but he listened to everybody.”
Russell was not a coach of the excitable variety, but he led by example and his players listened, according to Himmelsbach. He even accompanied former Seattle SuperSonics draftee Frank Oleynick to scout out a house before the team drafted him. The 11-time champion told Oleynick the home was too expensive in his straightforward style.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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