On this day in Boston Celtics history in 1934 in West Monroe, Louisiana, one of the game’s all-time greats was born: legendary Celtics Hall of Fame big man William “Bill” Fenton Russell.
Widely considered one of the greatest frontcourt players to ever play the game, Russell was renowned for his unearthly defensive skills and timing, especially rebounding and shot-blocking. To this day, he is still in second place for both total rebounds and rebounds per game in the NBA with 21,620, and along with Wilt Chamberlain, is one of two players to ever have over 50 rebounds in a game.
He’s also one of only seven players to win Olympic Gold, an NCAA championship.