Every athlete dreams about participating in the Olympics. However, only a select few have been fortunate enough to reach this pinnacle in their respective sports.
Among these elite athletes stands the legendary Bill Russell , who nearly competed in two disciplines at the same Olympics: basketball and high jump. While the legendary big man certainly had the skills to do so, regulations sadly put a stop to his plans.
An all-around sports talent
As a young boy with an unrefined basketball IQ, Russell initially caught people's attention for his lightning-fast running. Years later, he would compete in a 440-yard race, completing it in a highly respectable 49.6 seconds. At the same time, his exceptional jumping abilities were already evident.
However, fortunately for Russell and, literally, the entire history of basketball, he steadily improved at playing ball. This led the talented 6'10'" center to be picked second by the Boston Celtics in the 1956 NBA Draft.
What followed in the next two decades can be summed up in just a few sentences, as no number of words could ever truly capture Bill's greatness. He became a 12-time All-Star, a 5-time MVP, and won 13 championships (two as a head coach) with the C's. Nowadays, he stands not only as the winningest but arguably one of the best players ever.
Related: Why Michael Jordan was the only player studying game film at the 1992 Olympics: "I never underestimate anyone"
Russell soared higher than you think
It's certainly intriguing to consider what kind of success Bill might have achieved if he had pursued high jumping instead of playing ball. This rings true because his skills in that area were truly remarkable.
Before joining the league, the Hall of Famer excelled as a track and field athlete, especially in high jumping. In his graduation year from the University of San Francisco, the NBA icon was ranked the seventh-best high jumper in the world . Years later, he took to social media to claim that during that time, he was additionally "ranked #2 in the U.S."
At the West Coast Relays, Russell achieved a mark of 6 feet 9+1⁄4 inches. In achieving this feat, he matched the legendary Charlie Dumas, who, later that year, would go on to win gold for the U.S. at the Melbourne Olympics and become the first person to high jump seven feet.
It's no wonder that when the Celtics icon soared for a layup or dunk on an NBA court, nobody could stop him, and opponents usually trembled in fear. Russell's all-around ability was so unmatched that winning Olympic medals for Team USA in both basketball and high jump would indeed have been possible for him.
Related: “I would take Bill Russell” - Elgin Baylor on why he would build a franchise around Bill Russell over any other player
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