14 REMINISCE.COM * SEPTEMBER 2019
SPOTLIGHT
BY MARY-LIZ SHAW (^) » ILLUSTRATION by MICHAEL WITTE
Before Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan, there
was the remarkable Bill Russell, star center of the Boston
Celtics in the ’ 60 s. A canny strategist, Russell saw that an
aggressive defense could disrupt the opposition. He’d jump
to block shots and go after rebounds with a vengeance—
andhetransformedbasketball.In 1963 he led his team to a sixth NBA championship and
was season MVP. Like Russell, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers isn’t always the
biggest guy on the court, but he’s working harder and smarter than anyone else.
~ BillRussell ~ ~ LeBron James ~
Born
Education
Off the Court
NBA Season MVPs
Raised
Jersey
Height
One He Admires
NBA Seasons
NBA Championships
BILL RUSSELL LeBRON JAMES
Feb. 12, 1934 Dec. 30, 1984
University of San Francisco
After the murder of Medgar Evers,
he went to Mississippi to run
integrated basketball camps
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School
Supports at-risk children through
Akron’s I Promise School
5 4
Oakland, CA Akron, OH
(^623)
6 feet, 9 inches
Muhammad Ali
6 feet, 8 inches
Michael Jordan
13
11
16 and counting
3
1963
Then &
Now
PRINCES OF THE COURT