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12 - Bill Russell
Bill Russell is synonymous with the NBA, so much so that the league named the Finals MVP trophy after him due to his sustained excellence and success with the Boston Celtics. No one in NBA history has more Finals appearances, or rings, than him. During 13 years in the NBA, Bill made 12 Finals, winning 11 of them while also winning the regular season MVP award 5 times.
He made 11 All-NBA teams, and is universally recognized as the most revolutionary defender in the history of the game. Despite playing during a time when discrimination against blacks was still rampant in the United States, Russell was looked upon as an idol by most black kids in the country due to his excellence in the game of basketball.
Russell took up the head coaching job for the Celtics after Red Auerbach decided to step away from the on-court role for one with the front office. He played his last three seasons in the league as a player-coach, while still averaging over 20 rebounds per game despite being way into his mid-30s.
