Plans for a Bill Russell fan site?

I was hesitant to create this site because I did not want to work as hard as I did on my Wilt fan site.  With a family, I do not have the time, and also, I do not have the passion.  The reason why is because I simply am not a big fan of Russell.

If you are asking who I would want to put on my team if I was a NBA general manager, the answer is Russell.  If you are asking who I would have rather have hung out with, the answer is Wilt.  Wilt was a warm personable person, a loyal friend, and a renaissance man.  His life was more than that of a great basketball player.  That very reason is why he lacked Russell's killer instinct, but why he was probably a better person off the court, once his basketball career ended.

This is nothing against Russell.  He is an intelligent man and I think he would be very interesting.  I have just heard and read that he wasn't as warm and generous with his time and friendship as Wilt.  That maybe because he experienced racism much more deeply.  He was born in the deep south in the 1930s, attended schools in the California ghetto that did not support his dreams, and labored professionally in a city that did not love him.  Who could hardly blame him for not being more open and forgiving?  Still, he's just never been a favorite of mine.

I have read his 2 biographical books and I also did not find his books nearly as entertaining as Wilt's.  With that said, though, I think one of the most compelling cases for Russell is that I acknowledge his greatness even though I am not a really a fan of his.

 


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