Russell Still Sounds Like a Big Winner

One pioneer spoke to a group of others here Thursday, and the messages from former NBA superstar Bill Russell were a collection of spectacular slam-dunks.

The occasion was a breakfast meeting of the Sports Task Force of the National Assn. of Black Journalists, part of a weeklong convention of minority journalists called UNITY. With overall attendance for this once-every-four-years gathering more than 6,000, the Sports Task Force is a tiny part of this all. Projected attendance for the breakfast had been 50. More like 200 showed up, a testimonial both to Russell’s drawing power and to the journalistic progress of African Americans in sportswriting.

Russell, 65, spoke from no text, only from his heart.

And as the first black coach in the history of the NBA, with the Boston Celtics in 1966, and as the most prodigious winner in the history of pro basketball with 11 titles in 13 seasons (including an astounding eight in succession) as a player with the Celtics, he lectured from a pulpit of high credibility.

He was quipster, storyteller and philosopher.

Russell the quipster:

* “Somebody asked my opinion about Dennis Rodman. I think he is a cute little rebounder.”

* “In your jobs, you need to remember that everybody’s gonna cover their own ass. That’s what coaches, general managers and newspaper editors do.”

* “Remember the words of Reverend Ike, the preacher in New York City. He always said, ‘The best way to help poor people is to not be one of them.’ ”

Russell the storyteller:

* “When I was a junior in college [at the University of San Francisco], we had won the NCAA title, I had averaged over 20 points and 20 rebounds, I was the only guy in college basketball blocking shots, was MVP of the Final Four and first-team All-American.

“Then they had a dinner in which they honored the best center of that season in Northern California and I was runner-up [to Santa Clara’s Kenny Sears]. Then a sportswriter called and tried to get me to say that was OK and that I would try harder next year and maybe win it then.”

* “When we had the big rivalry going with the Lakers, the public had the Lakers labeled as the black team and the Celtics were the white guys. That amazed me. The Celtics were great champions of blacks, top to bottom in the organization. Elgin Baylor told me once that, other than the black Laker players, the only black in the organization was a bartender in the Forum Club.”

* “In basketball, in life, ego must be team ego. I hear all these guys talking about wanting to get that ring, but I wonder. When John Havlicek came to the Celtics, Frank Ramsey, our great sixth man, told Havlicek, ‘I’m so glad you are here,’ even though he knew Havlicek would soon take his job. If you just take my scoring stats, I wouldn’t be here with you today. But if you take my championships, I’m at the head table.”

Most significantly, Russell excelled as a philosopher:

* “I have a motto. I do what is right because it is right. Not because I will be applauded for it.”

* “I always tried to play by the rules, to play with dignity, so you must respect me. I didn’t care if you liked me, just as long as you respected me. Racism and bigotry is merely a sign of disrespect.”

* “My father used to say, if a man gives you $10 a day to work, you give him back $12 worth of work. That way, at the end of the day, you can look anybody in the eye and tell him to go to hell.”

* “My father worked in a foundry, and I never spent one day of my life not proud of him. I am most proud of the fact that I am my father’s son and he is proud of me.”

* “The first memory I have in life is that my mother and father loved me. That’s also my best memory.”

When he had finished, the crowd gave Russell a standing ovation. It was a spontaneous slam-dunk.