BASKETBALL PLAYER

Bill Russell

1934 - Today

Photo of Bill Russell

Icon of person Bill Russell

William Felton Russell (born February 12, 1934) is an American former professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 12-time NBA All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won eleven NBA championships during his 13-year career. Russell and Henri Richard of the National Hockey League are tied for the record of the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Bill Russell has received more than 9,334,599 page views. His biography is available in 50 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 47 in 2019). Bill Russell is the 5th most popular basketball player, the 607th most popular biography from United States (up from 1,021st in 2019) and the 5th most popular American Basketball Player.

Bill Russell is most famous for being the first African-American to win an NBA championship. He was also the first African-American to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Memorability Metrics

  • 9.3M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 73.50

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 50

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.87

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.77

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Bill Russells by language


Among BASKETBALL PLAYERS

Among basketball players, Bill Russell ranks 5 out of 1,264. Before him are Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Shaquille O'Neal. After him are Magic Johnson, Dennis Rodman, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Clyde Drexler, and Scottie Pippen.

Most Popular Basketball Players in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1934, Bill Russell ranks 29. Before him are Stjepan Mesić, Richard Chamberlain, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Pierre Richard, Empress Michiko, and Richard Meier. After him are Alan Arkin, Jacques Anquetil, Paco Rabanne, Diana Wynne Jones, Leonid Kravchuk, and Georges Moustaki.

Others Born in 1934

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Bill Russell ranks 607 out of 15,968. Before him are Oprah Winfrey (1954), Joel Schumacher (1939), Douglas Fairbanks (1883), Jim Jarmusch (1953), George Eastman (1854), and Clyde Tombaugh (1906). After him are Dolly Parton (1946), Gwen Stefani (1969), Ellen Burstyn (1932), Oliver Stone (1946), Oliver E. Williamson (1932), and Owen Chamberlain (1920).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among BASKETBALL PLAYERS In United States

Among basketball players born in United States, Bill Russell ranks 5. Before him are Michael Jordan (1963), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1947), Wilt Chamberlain (1936), and Shaquille O'Neal (1972). After him are Magic Johnson (1959), Dennis Rodman (1961), Larry Bird (1956), Kobe Bryant (1978), Jerry West (1938), Clyde Drexler (1962), and Scottie Pippen (1965).

American born Basketball Players

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous
  • Datawheel