Bill Russell's standing reach was crazy

[Im Still Ballin]

I've talked about his standing reach before but I just came across a couple of old Red Auerbach educational videos with Bill in them. I had to stop the footage just to marvel at how high his arms go when reaches straight up.

Truly one of the freakiest standing reaches in NBA history. Right there with McHale, Thurmond, and Duncan. No wonder he was so great at contesting shots without fouling. Had the flexible shoulders, huge standing reach, and lightning-quick jumping to always be ready.

I've personally estimated his standing reach to be in the 9'4" to 9'6" range. He had 10.5" long hands, noticeably long arms, and narrow-set shoulders. His wingspan was reported as 7'4" but they didn't specify down to the quarter inch. Don't know if it's a 7'4.25," a 7'4.5" like Dwight, or a 7'4.75" like Durant.

https://i.ibb.co/2v2X3Tf/Bill-Russell.png


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S__553gX5cM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8GzWAri8QQ


Size/Anthropometry:

Height: 6'9⅝" barefoot; 6'11" in shoes
Weight: 215-240 pounds without weight training
Wingspan: 7'4" (Not specified to the quarter inch)
Standing Reach: Estimated 9'4" to 9'6"

Bill was roughly the same height as Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Some might look at the wingspan and think the standing reach estimation is off but let me explain. Bill had narrower shoulders, meaning more of his 7'4" reported arm span was coming from his arms. Combine that with a very short neck/high-set shoulders and a standing reach in the 9'4" to 9'6" seems accurate.

Also, consider that we have three interesting anecdotes about Bill's standing reach:

1) A 1955 article pointed out that Bill Russell had a higher standing reach than 7'3" barefoot Swede Halbrook.
2) There was a story about how Bill Russell had a higher standing reach than 7'2" barefoot Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
3) There was a story about how Bill Russell had a higher standing reach than Ralph Sampson, who wasn't 7'4" but around Kareem's height. The anecdotal story came from a Sacramento Kings announcer back when Bill Russell was coach. I believe it was Jerry Reynolds.

Here are some official NBA combine measurements of players who are in the same ballpark as Bill Russell regarding height, span, and reach:

Dwight Howard: 6'9" barefoot height; 7'4.5" wingspan; 9'3.5" standing reach
DeMarcus Cousins: 6'9.5" barefoot height; 7'5.75" wingspan; 9'5" standing reach
Myles Turner: 6'9.75" barefoot height; 7'4" wingspan; 9'4" standing reach
DeAndre Jordan: 6'9.75" barefoot height; 7'6" wingspan; 9'5.5" standing reach
Tony Bradley: 6'9.25" barefoot height; 7'5" wingspan; 9'4.5" standing reach
Thomas Bryant: 6'9.5" barefoot height; 7'6" wingspan; 9'4.5" standing reach
John Henson: 6'9" barefoot height; 7'5" wingspan; 9'4" standing reach
Larry Sanders: 6'9.25" barefoot height; 7'5.75" wingspan; 9'4" standing reach
Martin Iti: 6'8.5" barefoot height; 7'5" wingspan; 9'3.5" standing reach
Uche Okafor: 6'9" barefoot height; 7'5.5" wingspan; 9'4" standing reach
DeSagana Diop: 6'10" barefoot height; 7'6.5" wingspan; 9'5" standing reach

To finish, here are a couple of useful photos displaying Bill's height and build. Notice his narrower shoulders and how much longer his arms are compared to Kareem, who had a 7'5" wingspan.

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/85562707/it/foto/nba-legend-bill-russell-speaks-with-tim-duncan-of-the-san-antonio-spurs-at-the-spurs-practice.jpg?s=1024x1024&w=gi&k=20&c=iBNTtbKiyLw_NgG5chOpLd59Z4Zt-DVCBlmszbkeZWY=

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQsgd5hjIs5h4CuPbK1hu7pslqvlmWOs J-XCNfdiOQDgdP7bZ_tjett-9zjfRGchrbGh0o&usqp=CAU

[dankok8]

Great thread. People don't understand just how freakish of an athlete Bill Russell was. As you said he also didn't just jump high but jumped quickly and could jump multiple times in quick succession.

[sdot_thadon]

I wish we had block numbers for him and Wilt. I bet they'd have been off the charts considering the era and they probably missed out on quite a few triple and quadruple doubles. Previous post mentioned his quick jumping and multiple jumps ability, something he shared with Dream but he also was cerebral and a tactician. Would bait guys and play mind games with guys to take advantage of them later in the game. His basketball mind isn't credited nearly enough.

[Neal Romer]

Yeah he was basically peak Lebron defensively.

[Im Still Ballin]

https://i.ibb.co/g949sz9/ab31c2a36ff34142b6bf7076afc8b13f.gif
https://i.ibb.co/xSLrWL2/ezgif-4-5aa03525bb.gif
https://i.ibb.co/ckttnDr/standing-reach-bill.png

[Im Still Ballin]

https://i.ibb.co/N2qLRqR/billwilt.png
https://i.ibb.co/r4gWvJq/billwilt2.png
https://i.ibb.co/rMsLdy9/8edziv.gif

[Im Still Ballin]

https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/680AAOSwp~tmfAsY/s-l1200.jpg
https://wehco.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2022/08/01/AP5611230250_1_t1000.jpg?cc6fa094ad523b984325c7879 220d3883a443e7f
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqV2EHSXyqq_FzC6apk4rNDg1E1wNcD 6U4TP3xtxZzGNxloRCQQ_t-Ds5SfZivB4Ilkos&usqp=CAU

[Im Still Ballin]

I have to up my estimation to between 9'5" to 9'7". He's right there with a barefoot 9'6" (9'7" in shoes) Wilt Chamberlain. Bill's hands (10.5") are 1" longer than Wilt's (9.5"). May be longer or as long in the arm and hands. The shoulder width is where the biggest difference is.

Similar standing reaches include DeMarcus Cousins (9'5"), DeAndre Jordan (9'5.5"), Chet Holmgren (9'6"), Javale McGee (9'6.5"), and Rudy Gobert (9'7").

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/514880052/photo/boston-celtic-bill-russell-blocks-a-pass-or-shot-by-wilt-chamberlain-of-the-philadelphia.jpg?s=612x612&w=gi&k=20&c=5TvWs1fnU3vgMDfrI2QrS2shNu5VN6wgxGbldw6so4Y=
https://i.ibb.co/Z1FQjcz/8xwx0b.gif

[Im Still Ballin]

Found a French-Nigerian basketball player who appears to have similar measurements and proportions to Bill.

Aboubakar Amadou Zaki/Roger Zaki

2009 Eurocamp measurements:

- 6’10.25" barefoot height
- 6’11" height in shoes
- 9’6.5" standing reach (adjusted +0.5" for 1.25" average shoe size)
- 7’5" wingspan

Bill's height listing ranged from 6'9.5" to 6'10" with an official measurement right in the middle. Don't know if that measurement was done early during the day or late. Height typically varies by up to an inch during the day as gravity compresses the spine.

Zaki appears to also have disproportionately large hands and narrower clavicles.

https://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/2/42/96/51/20180719/ob_8656ea_roger-zaki-s-exile-au-danemark.jpg
https://www.planete-urb.com/URB_Photos/_data/i/upload/2019/08/21/20190821173432-4b8b620b-me.jpg
https://media.gettyimages.com/id/839515318/photo/roger-aboubakar-zaki-cholet-nancy-1ere-journee-de-pro-a.jpg?s=612x612&w=gi&k=20&c=wBcr39rLPDL4oaCwQ6wLC49uv-RSelNdn3xqPoR-KJM=


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PghEsRnQzEs

[Street Hunger]

This thread is so interesting I've now read it twice