6ft 10” Bill Russell once won an MVP over 7’1” Wilt Chamberlain averaging 50 PPG and triple-double averaging Oscar Robertson

Akash Murty | 01/08/2022
6ft 10” Bill Russell once won an MVP over 7’1” Wilt Chamberlain averaging 50 PPG and triple-double averaging Oscar Robertson

William Felton Russell, who famously went by Bill, is one of one. The Boston Celtics legend is arguably the first and still the strongest pillar in the game of basketball.

Bill Russell might be the only athlete on the planet who probably has the best resume in his sport, and yet, he had a major impact off the court if not better.

One of the biggest and longest-serving legends of the fight against racism, Russell peacefully passed away on Sunday, 31st July at age 88.

He left behind a legacy that will be remembered until there are living souls on this planet dribbling a basketball.

Reminiscing how great he was on the court in his 13-year NBA career, which saw success like nobody ever did or no one ever will, let us remember probably his best ever and least probable MVP season.

Also read: 6’10” Bill Russell hilariously revealed his sassier side, flipped Charles Barkley off on live, national television

 

Bill Russell won an MVP over 50 PPG Wilt Chamberlain and triple-double averaging Oscar Robertson

Bill played basketball in the era which is argued to be the easiest to date. But still, the physicality in that era is still incomparable. And at 6’10 having Olympic high jumpers and sprinters-like athleticism, Russell was a cheat code that no one was able to crack.

The 11x NBA champ dominated the board and the paint like nobody had ever seen. He was the best shot blocker, man-to-man defender, and rebounder on the court irrespective of the opposition. And yet, he averaged over 15 points and 4 assists as well.

Wilt Chamberlain was a similar type of threat at the time, but with even better scoring abilities. Meanwhile, there was another legend of the game, who went by the name Oscar Robertson.

He could also impact the game in multiple areas from the point position and was a triple-double machine. Both of them gave Bill tough competition for his MVP awards after coming into the league in 1959 and 1960.

1961-62 season might have been the best one among many others in which Chamberlain averaged 50 points per game, Robertson averaged a triple-double, and yet it was Russell who would win the MVP.

Also read: 7-footer Wilt Chamberlain once tried to hilariously put Shaquille O’Neal in his place during talk show appearance

The 5x MVP has the second most number of those, alongside Michael Jordan. Only Kareem-Abdul Jabbar has more (6). Russell with his 11 NBA championships in 13 years is still the winningest athlete on the planet.

 

 

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
Bill Russell Oscar Robertson Wilt Chamberlain

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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