Bill Russell to receive Arthur Ashe Award in July

An all-time NBA great and former member of the Boston Celtics will receive a prestigious award in the next few weeks.

Bill Russell, the 11-time NBA champ, is set to receive the Arthur Ashe Award at the ESPYs on July 10, celebrating him and all he accomplished in his career.

According to ESPN's website, recipients of the award, “reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost.”

When it comes to handing out awards, giving one to Bill Russell just seems like a safe bet. There's a case to be made of him being the best player in NBA history.

He won 11 rings in 13 seasons, so he's at least the most successful.
But then if one were to look at his career stats, they'd also be amazed. He averaged 15.1 points per game with 22.5 rebounds as well. Yes, you read that right: 22.5 rebounds. That is quite a lot.

Personally, the thing I find quite impressive about Russell above all else is how much time he saw on the court. The guy averaged 42.3 minutes per game over the course of his NBA career. And during the 1961-1962 NBA seas, he played 45.2 minutes per game. In other words, he sat for less than three minutes per game, on average.

To put it in perspective, Michael Jordan never even cracked 40.5 minutes per game in one season--let alone doing more than 42 per game for his entire career.

So yeah, it's great to see such a Celtics legend be honored for what he did over the course of his career. Hopefully, he gets more awards in the future as well. He deserves them for the career he had.