Russell's USA days among his most treasured as a basketball player

MIES (Switzerland) - The basketball world knows all about the great USA Dream Team and how it took the Olympics by storm in 1992.

It's aware of the eye-popping success at the last three Summer Games by the Americans, who have reeled off 24 victories in as many games, and it knows all about Michael Jordan's first Olympics, in 1984, when he spearheaded the USA's impressive gold-medal run at the Los Angeles Games.

What it may not fully appreciate are some of the country's earliest Olympic heroes. Bill Russell, who played for the USA at the 1956 Summer Games in Melbourne, Australia, was among them.

Russell, the best player in the NCAA-title winning San Francisco Dons teams in 1955 and 1956, led the USA to the gold medal before launching his legendary career with the Boston Celtics.

The center wasn't just tall at 6ft 10in (2.08m), but a tremendous athlete. How good? At San Francisco, he was also a track and field star.

"I could have qualified (for Olympics) in two different sports," Russell once said. "I was in the top five in the world in high jumping, in track and field. And the guys on the American team, two out of the three, I had beaten regularly.

"But after I made it in basketball, we had been friendly competitors, so I dismissed going out for the track team because the other two guys, we had been friends over two seasons. And I was, as we say, on the boat (to Melbourne). I wasn't going to take two seats. Maybe I wouldn't have won anyway, but I could have made the track team." 

FIBA Hall of Fame center Bill Russell was one of the best high-jumpers in the world

After the Melbourne Games, "Russ" became the dominant force in the NBA, from 1956 to 1969, when he fueled 11 title runs for the Celtics.

He had legendary performances for Boston. His effort in Game 7 of the 1962 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers was among his finest hours.

Russell poured in 30 points and corralled 40 rebounds as the Celtics won, 110-107.

"IT (OLYMPICS) WAS JUST FUN TO BE A PART OF THAT AND THE GOLD MEDAL IS VERY, VERY VERY PRECIOUS TO ME. IN TERMS OF TROPHIES, IT'S PROBABLY MY MOST PRIZED POSSESSION."- Bill Russell on winning  the1956 Olympic gold medal

Before his incredible Celtics career, he was an Olympian.

Russell was the biggest name on an American team that averaged nearly 100 points per contest in Melbourne and their average margin of victory was 53.5 points a game.

In their first game, Russell had 20 points as the USA beat Japan, 98-40. He also played well in the next game, a 101-29 victory over Thailand.

Russell has often been asked about that game against Thailand.

"We were playing Thailand, the center was 5ft 10in (1.77m)," he said. "Did I feel any guilt? Not for one moment (laughs). What we did, we were the classic, classic ugly Americans (smiles). We wanted to see how bad we could beat them, and we played just as hard against them as we did against the Soviet Union."

He explained in another interview: "But it was kind of a compliment to them (Thailand), at least from my point of view. It meant we played as hard against them as we did against the other teams out of respect. You don't go out there and say, 'Well, I don't have to do very much to beat you guys.' To me, that's disrespectful. But I wanted a gold medal. So the experience was unique in that it was fulfilling one of my goals."

Russell never had any regrets that he delayed his career with the Celtics for several weeks so he could play at the Olympics. In those days, only amateurs could compete at the Games.

"It was just fun to be a part of that and the gold medal is very, very very precious to me. In terms of trophies, it's probably my most prized possession," he said.

The USA won 89-85 in the Gold Medal Game over the Soviet Union (highlights in above Olympic video)

When opposing teams left the Melbourne Olympics, everyone was talking about one player.

KC Jones, Russell's teammate at San Francisco and Boston and also in Melbourne, recalled a chance encounter he had with a former Olympic opponent in Seoul, Korea, in 1988. It showed what sort of impression Russell had made in Australia.

"He recalled the game against the United States and said he never played another game after he played us," Jones said. "I said, 'Why not?' He said, 'Because every shot I took, Bill Russell blocked.'"

Russell went into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. His Olympic experience is something he cherishes.

"The memories of being in this competition, at that time the highest competition on the planet, and to do well was just completely satisfactory," he said.

FIBA