“The type of athlete who never gave thought to individual objectives” – John Havlicek on his experience playing alongside Bill Russell

“The type of athlete who never gave thought to individual objectives” – John Havlicek on his experience playing alongside Bill Russell.

With the Boston Celtics, John Havlicek won eight titles during his incredible 16-year NBA career, six of which he shared with Bill Russell.

Having personally witnessed Bill’s leadership, ‘Hondo’ shared his knowledge of the famous big man’s selfless efforts to position his teammates and team to win the Larry O’Brien trophy each season.

“Playing with Russell for all of those years meant that you were going to be in the mix for a championship, and winning those titles were the most important things in my career,” Havlicek stated. “Ignore the assists, rebounds, points, or anything else. They cannot take away from you the titles, and since Russell is engaged and you are involved with him, you always.

Each player was boosted by Russell’s presence.
Havlicek continued to express his love for the five-time MVP, stressing how Russell’s presence not only provided confidence but also had a game-changing impact on each member of the Celtics squad. Every teammate who played with Russell on the floor became a better player, regardless of their position on the court—defence or offense.

“Russell was the kind of player who never concerned himself with personal goals,” Havlicek stated. “He prioritized his team before himself, and in doing so, he improved the play of his teammates. Russell’s presence made you, as a scorer, six or eight points better. You developed into a fantastic defensive player if you were an excellent defensive player.”

Moreover, the 13-time All-Star stated that although spectators were most anticipating the match between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, Russell was only interested in taking home NBA rings, even if it meant putting aside personal honors.

Hondo on the distinction between Wilt and Bill Diving into the competition between Wilt and Bill, “Hondo” identified the primary distinction between these two renowned centers. He also talked about how, despite “The Big Dipper’s” refusal to acknowledge it, the Celtics center had a psychological advantage over Wilt that caused him to constantly nag at Chamberlain.

For Bill, victories, rings, and championships were the most important things. He never cared about his own stats. Wilt could improve his performance. Havlicek stated, “He could do things that were shocking when you looked at the box score, but he could never figure out how to improve his teammates around him.”

It is hardly surprising that Russell’s teammates are still in awe of his selflessness and perspective on the game, considering that he was the best teammate and biggest winner in basketball history.