Latest news with #BillRussell
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michael Jordan's Honest Thoughts On GOAT Debate Resurface: "I Won 6 Championships, Bill Russell Won 11"
Michael Jordan's Honest Thoughts On GOAT Debate Resurface: "I Won 6 Championships, Bill Russell Won 11" originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Michael Jordan retired over 20 years ago, but his name is brought up regularly even today, thanks to the GOAT debate. It's one of the biggest talking points in sports media, but Jordan himself isn't a fan of it. His comments on the GOAT debate on Cigar Aficionado recently resurfaced on Reddit, and he dismissed it completely. "You are never going to say who's the greatest of all time," Jordan said. "To me, I think that's more for PR and more for selling stories and getting hype. Jack [Nicklaus] and Tiger [Woods] never played against each other. They never played in the same tournament, they never played with the same equipment, they never played with the same length of golf course. "I never played against Wilt Chamberlain, I never played against Jerry West, to now say that one's greater than the other is being a little bit unfair," Jordan added. "... I won six championships, Bill Russell won 11. Does that make Bill Russell better than me, or make me better than him? No, because we played at different eras." As Jordan pointed out, you can't really accurately compare players who played in different eras. Team sports already have the variable of teammates, and when you add in different rules and whatnot, a fair comparison of two players across generations becomes difficult. If rings were the be-all and end-all, then Bill Russell would be the undisputed GOAT. Russell won an NBA-record 11 titles, and it's safe to say no one is going to be able to surpass him. Russell isn't considered the GOAT, though, because he played in a different era. Now, the difference might not be as drastic when we compare Jordan to LeBron James, for example, but they still played in different eras with different rules and circumstances. All of this won't stop the comparisons, though. Also, while Jordan isn't interested in speaking about this, that's not the case with James. He has openly stated he considers himself the best basketball player of all time. 'What I bring to the table as a basketball player … I feel like I'm the best basketball player that ever played the game,' he said. 'That's just my confidence, that's just what I bring to the table, what I possess. But as far as if the scoring record gets me to another level, I don't know.' James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title in his career. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and is setting records that will prove almost impossible to break. While James has the statistics on his side, Jordan has him beat when it comes to the major accolades. He won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, a DPOY, and 10 scoring titles. We did a full comparison of Jordan and James' careers, and the former beats out the latter. James still has time to add to his resume, and it will be interesting to see what it looks like when he finally walks away from the story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What if Caitlin Clark was named WNBA's first player-coach?
To be clear, this is just an idea. But what if Caitlin Clark was named the WNBA's first player-coach? It'd be yet another history-making moment for the generational women's basketball star of the Indiana Fever. The thought spawned while watching the WNBA All-Star Game. Clark was a team captain and picked her roster, but then an injury prevented her from playing. So instead, there she was on the sideline, encouraging players and drawing up plays. Clearly, it's not the same as a competitive game environment, but it was awesome. Clark is the face of the Fever. She's the face of the WNBA. It wouldn't be a crazy leap to name her player-coach. Obviously, her assistants would be crucial. When Clark is healthy and on the floor most of the game, someone would have to worry about substitutions and some strategy changes while Clark played. But it would be a chance for the WNBA and Clark to draw even more interested observers to their sport. One of the NBA's all-time greats, Bill Russell, was a player-coach at the end of his career. It went out of vogue once more money came in and it made sense to just have separate coaches. Clark could stand alone in league history even more than she already does, though. It almost certainly won't happen, but it's quite the fun idea. Why not? MORE:
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What does it mean to be the head coach of the Boston Celtics?
What does it mean to be the head coach of the Boston Celtics? With famous greats like Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Fitch, K.C. Jones, and Doc Rivers having held such a post to name just some of the legendary names helming the Celtics over the years, it is a certain level of rarified air to even be in the same conversation with names like these. And now current Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla is among them with a title to his name as coach of the Celtics, so the Rhode Island native knows something about the answer to that question. The man himself took a stab at answering it on a recent episode from fellow New England sports legend Julian Edelman's "Games with Names" podcast, Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what Mazzulla had to say about what it means to coach the Celtics.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell changed the game of basketball forever
Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell changed the game of basketball forever -- and in more ways than one. The University of San Francisco alum was such a dominant player at the NCAA level that he helped influence rule changes to the game, and only needed two seasons to help the Celtics secure their first NBA title at the next level. But his conduct off the court as a fierce supporter of not only the labor rights of his fellow NBAers, but his unwavering support of the US Civil Rights movement in days when doing so meant quite literally putting your life on the line created the mold of many a star in the Association who have used their platform to fight for the greater good. The folks behind the "A University of Documentaries" YouTube channel put together a clip highlighting his iconic career with the Celtics and beyond. Check it out below! This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Hall of Fame Celtics big Bill Russell changed the game of basketball
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell changed the game of basketball forever
Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell changed the game of basketball forever -- and in more ways than one. The University of San Francisco alum was such a dominant player at the NCAA level that he helped influence rule changes to the game, and only needed two seasons to help the Celtics secure their first NBA title at the next level. But his conduct off the court as a fierce supporter of not only the labor rights of his fellow NBAers, but his unwavering support of the US Civil Rights movement in days when doing so meant quite literally putting your life on the line created the mold of many a star in the Association who have used their platform to fight for the greater good. The folks behind the "A University of Documentaries" YouTube channel put together a clip highlighting his iconic career with the Celtics and beyond. Check it out below!
