This brilliant Bill Russell quote should inspire more thoughtful NBA coverage
The things he knew about basketball, motivation, and people went much deeper.
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The NBA world mourned the legendary Bill Russell, who died on Sunday.
Russell, 88, was perhaps the most successful player in league history. The big man was a two-time collegiate national champion who went on to win eleven championships in the NBA. He also won two titles as a head coach in the late 1960s.
In the early 1970s, the former Celtics superstar ventured into sports media as a broadcaster. However, it was never a natural fit, and he explained why (via NBA.com):
Between coaching stints Russell was most visible as a color commentator on televised basketball games. For a time he was paired with the equally blunt Rick Barry; the duo provided brutally frank commentary on the game. Russell was never comfortable in that setting, though, explaining to the Sacramento Bee, “The most successful television is done in eight-second thoughts, and the things I know about basketball, motivation and people go deeper than that.”
Russell was incredibly insightful, and you can see some of his other best quotes in this Twitter thread from Tom Westerholm.
But as a sportswriter myself, I find Russell’s words about television are particularly impactful. While my medium is digital, his point still applies.
Too often, writers focus on the most succinct way to make a point, ignoring the necessary nuance and context. Russell’s media criticism is not unfair and should serve as a lesson for myself and many others.
Perhaps the consumer only has so much time to spend with each story. But if the person delivering the news has an authoritative voice on a subject and can explain the concepts discussed deeper, everyone involved deserves as much.
Fans are entitled to learn as much as possible and players would benefit from more thoughtful coverage, too. The world moves fast around us all and it can be easy to default to the cursory basics. Hot takes get clicks and do ratings.
However, as Russell explained, I am confident we can all do so much better.
The Tip-Off
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Some may not realize this but Bill Russell and Kobe Bryant were very close friends during their time together. Here are some words from the late Lakers legend on the late Celtics icon:
“Every generation has a responsibility to teach the next. One thing I learned about Bill was how he drew inspiration from his grandfather whose motto was, ‘A man has to draw a line within himself that he will not allow any man to cross.’ Bill learned from that, and added his own motto: ‘You disrespect the line, you disrespect me.’ More than 50 years later, Bill and his grandfather’s mottos still resonate powerfully and still speak loudly for Bill’s beliefs … Bill’s dissatisfaction with the injustices of the world never changed … His hope for a better tomorrow. Bill has led the way that inspires all of us — the next generation — to follow his lead.”
You can see more of the most impactful moments of their friendship here.
Shootaround
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
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