36 Quotes by Bill Russell
Bill Russell, a basketball legend and one of the most dominant players in the history of the sport, revolutionized the game with his unmatched defensive prowess, leadership, and unparalleled winning mentality. As a center for the Boston Celtics in the 1950s and 1960s, Russell's impact extended far beyond his impressive statistics. He led the Celtics to an unprecedented 11 NBA championships, showcasing his exceptional basketball IQ, shot-blocking ability, and unmatched intensity on the court. Russell's impact on the game went beyond his individual accomplishments.
He played a crucial role in breaking down racial barriers in professional basketball, becoming the first African American player to achieve superstardom in the NBA. Off the court, Russell has been a vocal advocate for civil rights and social justice, using his platform to effect positive change. Russell's contributions to basketball and society at large have cemented his legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time and a true symbol of resilience, leadership, and integrity.
Bill Russell Quotes
To love someone is nothing, to be loved by someone is something, to love someone who loves you is everything. (Meaning)
Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions. There is nothing miraculous about the process. There is no luck involved.
The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d made my teammates play.
Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.
Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission. I truly believe in the saying "We work to become, not to acquire."
If you really have integrity, there are very few people who can insult you, or honor you.
The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.
If a guy pays you five dollars, you give him seven dollars worth of work.
Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
You can do anything you want to do if you want it bad enough
You got to have the killer instinct. If you do not have it, forget about basketball and go into social psychology or something. If you sometimes wonder if you've got it, you ain't got it. No pussycats, please.
Durability is part of what makes a great athlete.
My most prized possession was my library card from the Oakland Public Library.
To me, the most important part of winning is joy. You can win without joy, but winning that’s joyless is like eating in a four-star restaurant when you’re not hungry. Joy is a current of energy in your body, like chlorophyll or sunlight, that fills you up and makes you naturally want to do your best.
What distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.
Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.
If Shakespeare can compare all of life to a stage, maybe it's not odd to believe that part of the play can take place on a basketball court.
Remember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you've got him
Heart in champions has to do with the depth of our motivation and how well your mind and body react to pressure - that is, being able to do what you do best under maximum pain and stress.
Friendship is a full-time job.
I've been fortunate to meet and work with a lot of really smart people. The thing that strikes me most about them is how they continue to explore and learn every day. I have tried to apply that approach in my modest career as well.
On females officiating in the NBA -Incompetence should not be confined to one sex.
The morale and the camaraderie that we had for one another earlier in the year is starting to come under duress because of all the losses. Some of the guys are feeling the pressure now from the last year when they were not successful.
We learn to make a shell for ourselves when we are young and then spend the rest of our lives hoping for someone to reach inside and touch us. Just touch us—anything more than that would be too much for us to bear.
Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.
If you can take something to levels that very few other people can reach, then what you're doing becomes art.
I think what has happened to our basketball team, we've been badly distracted. They're not reading too many positive things in the paper.
The only important statistic is the final score.
The magic to a great meeting is all of the work that's done beforehand.
My father once told me that anyone who worked for three dollars an hour owed it to himself to put in four dollars' worth of work.
The last five or six days, I've been running. The last two days, I've been running pretty hard. Everybody's got to be someplace.
What's more important than who's going to be the first black manager is who's going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.
We overreached our decision power. Sometimes our decisions have to fit the reality of the outside world.
Don't knock the ball in the stands, keep it in your hands!
We couldn't sustain it. And they got a lot of kids that can shoot. We just couldn't close out well enough.
The most important thing to me is the friends that I've made.
― Bill Russell Quotes
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Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
