“Bill Russell: Legend” (2023) / Z-View
Bill Russell: Legend (2023)
Director: Sam Pollard
Stars: Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Satch Sanders, Bill Walton, Jeannine Russell, Jalen Rose, Karen Russell, Lawrence O’Donnell, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, Bill Bradley, Shaquille O’Neal, Earl Monroe and Chris Paul.
Tagline: He Changed More Than the Game
The Plot…
Bill Russell: Legend explores Russell’s life on and off the basketball court. Archival news reports as well as interviews with Bill Russell, his contemporaries, current athletes and sportswriters round out this two part series.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Bill Russell is considered by many the greatest basketball player of all time. He made every team he played on the best. Bill Russell led his high school team to two California State High School Championships. In college his team won two back-to-back NCAA titles. As an Olympian, the U.S. basketball team won a Gold Medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. When he went into the NBA his team, the Boston Celtics won 11 championships in his thirteen-year career. The last two were won with Bill Russell playing and serving as the coach! “He has more NBA championship rings than he has fingers.”
Off the court Bill Russell was a man concerned with civil rights and world events. He was a proud man that felt that the things he did off the court were more important. I am not the biggest basketball fan in the world, but I give Bill Russell: Legend my highest recommendation.
Bill Russell: Legend (2023) rates 5 of 5 stars.
