Lost in much of the Red Sox championship hoopla was the unveiling of the long, I mean REALLY LONG, overdue statue for NBA Hall Of Famer Bill Russell. Click here to give this living legend his due.

Can you imagine having these per game stats on your fantasy squad:
22.5 rebounds, 15.1 points and 7 blocks|STAR|

Those were Russell's CAREER averages. Sadly, blocks(|STAR|) were not an official stat back in Russell's day, but that's what most folks estimate.

Of course, Russell's value was much, much higher in real life than fantasy. Bill Simmon's ranked Russell as the second greatest player of all time, after MJ. But Russell had 11 championship rings versus Michael's six. And if you were an NBA player, who would you rather have as your teammate? Plus, Russell succeeded facing innumerable racial challenges as a both a player, then coach.

Celtic fans, as you grasp for greatness in Vitor Faverani (hey, I like him too), occasionally remember the greatness that once was at center for the Celtics.

Enjoy this Vintage NBA footage: