"Nobody can write a story about the Celtics and not talk about Red Auerbach. Much of my success as a professional is a result of the way he first approached me. A lot of guys said I'd never make it because I couldn't shoot. My first day with Red he told me right out that he didn't care if I never scored a point. He said they had the guys on the Celtics who could score. What he wanted from me was defense and rebounding. That suited me fine. He and I had one big thing in common — the will to win. When he appointed me coach he just said. "The job is yours." He never put pressure on me. He never even came to practice unless I invited him. Of course, I did — often. I would have been crazy not to take advantage of one of the smartest guys the game has seen. In moments of weakness, I almost like Red — a little."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipientsAfrican AmericansPeople from LouisianaTrack and field athletesOlympic gold medalists
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Russell
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Bill Russell
William Felton Russell (12 February 1934 – 31 July 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career. Russell is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
11 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Bill Russell →
Related Quotes
"He told me he couldn't wait for the basketball season to end, so he could go back to baseball and get out of shape."
"What do you think of the Chicago Bulls winning three in a row?" -- Russell: "Not much."
"I'm a pretty direct man. You say something I like, I'll tell you so; you say something I don't like, I'll tell you al…"
"If you're really looking for a reason why I feel I've played enough, I'll tell you this. There are professionals and …"
"I played because I enjoyed it — but there's more to it than that. I played because I was dedicated to being the best.…"
"People didn't give us credit for being as good as we were last season. Personally, I think we won because we had the …"
"Something everybody else but Bill Russell excelled in was giving the coach good advice. I made the decisions, but I l…"
"How much does that guy make a year? It would be to our advantage if we paid him off for five years to get away from u…"
"[The sound of Russell throwing up] is a welcome sound, too, because it means he's keyed up for the game, and around t…"
"Tony DiNozzo: William Felton Russell, 5-time MVP, greatest basketball champion ever. He used to get so nervous, so pu…"