Help shape these rankings by voting on this list of Bill Russell's Best Teammates Throughout His NBA Career
Voting Rules
Vote up the best teammates Bill Russell ever had.
Who is Bill Russell's best teammate ever? The Secretary of Defense, a.k.a. Mr. 11 Rings, had a lot of NBA All Star teammates over the course of his long and storied NBA career. The captain of the Boston Celtics led the storied franchise to eleven NBA championships, including eight straight. Bill Russell's greatest teammates have included NBA champions, longtime journeyman, and talented rookies here and there. But who is the best Bill Russell teammate of all time? Which of Bill Russell teammates throughout his entire career do you love?
When it comes to Bill Russell's best teammates, Sam Jones and John Havlicek have to be at the top. The trio joined forces to win eight championships for the Boston Celtics. Other Bill Russell teammates like Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, and Tom Heinsohn were instrumental in title runs as well. Lest we forget Bill Russell teammates, such as Satch Sanders, Bill Sharman, and Don Nelson, who are among some the best NBA players of all time.
Vote up the best Bill Russell teammates, and help decide which of Bill Russell All Star teammates was #1.
A ten-time NBA champion, five-time NBA All-Star, member of the 25th, 50th, and 75th NBA Anniversary team, and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Sam Jones is one of the greatest basketball players to ever step on the court, and his laundry list of accomplishments don't just end there. Jones was one of three Celtics, along with his teammates Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, to be a part of the Celtic's legendary and masterful eight-year championship run, and Jones has the second most NBA championship points, only trailing the great Bill Russell. Jones spent all 12 seasons in the NBA right alongside Russell, providing a powerful one-two punch on the defensive and offensive end, with Jones at one point averaging a monstrous 25.8 points per game! When Jones retired in 1969, it took just a few years until the Celtics lifted his #24 jersey to the rafters, where it will remain for all time.
The starting point guard throughout the first half of the Celtics dynasty, Bob Cousy is widely regarded to be one of the best teammates Bill Russell ever had, even rivaling him in honor of who the best Celtic of all time is! While nearly everyone would have Russell, Cousy was no slouch on the court, averaging 18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game throughout his career. Cousy would go on to win 6 championships with Russell as his defensive anchor, and he would even go on to win the NBA MVP, become a 13-time NBA All-Star, and 10-time All-NBA First Team member. Cousy was the bread to Russell's butter, and the two together formed the core of what would be the early Celtics dynasty.
One of only three players in NBA history with an outstanding and perfect 8-0 record in the NBA finals, John Havlicek is widely regarded as one of the best NBA players of all time for good reason. An NBA Finals MVP, 8-time NBA champion, 13-time NBA All-Star, 5-time Defensive First Team member, and a member of the 35th, 50th, and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams, Havlicek was one of the anchors of the Bill Russell and Celtics Dynasty. Averaging an astounding 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, Havlicek brought greatness each and every night on the court and would go on to be considered to be one of the greatest Celtics in the history of the franchise.
K.C. Jones has the very rare honor to not only play alongside the great Bill Russell, but also to coach him. Jones was the point guard throughout the Celtic's legendary dynasty and helped them achieve 8 championships while he played, and another 3 as a coach. Jones may not have had the flashiest numbers or eye-popping stats, but what he lacked in the statistical categories, he more than made up for with his incredible basketball IQ and tenacious defense. Jones provided phenomenal defense throughout his career, but knowing the big fella had his back ensured he could take more gambles and risks on that side of the ball. To this day, Jones is one of only eight players to win an NCAA championship, NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. Bill Russell, of course, is one of the other members of that prestigious list.
Bill Sharman played his last 10 years in the NBA on the Boston Celtics, and 5 of those years with the great Bill Russell where he was a prolific scoring guard in his early days, and a phenomenal backup in the backend of his career. Sharman would go on to win 4 Championships, 3 of which were with Bill Russell, and he would even become quite the prolific star, being named to 8 All-Star games, even winning an All-Star Game MVP. Sharman had the peak of his career before Russell arrived, however, he was there to help take Russell under his wing and show him what it took to be a winning player.
Satch Sanders proved to be a fantastic backup power-forward who could score in bunches off a few shots and grew to become a staple in the Bill Russell dynasty. Helping the Celtics win 8 championships during his 13 years with the team, Sanders is one of only three players in NBA history with a perfect 8-0 record in NBA Finals. The eighth overall pick of the 1960 draft was also a defensive anchor, and a huge help to Russell on that end of the court, making the NBA All-Defensive team in 1969. Sanders would go on to retire in 1973, but his role in the Russell dynasty was massive, and he would eventually go on to have his number retired by the team.
