Bill Russell had the best single season rebounding performances by a Celtic.
The Celtics are among the league’s most storied franchises and have had a litany of iconic players. In this article, we will detail the best single season rebounding performances by a Celtic where one man unsurprisingly left his mark as the unquestioned leader in that facet of the game.
Bill Russell – 1963-64, 24.7 RPG
Russell is not only the player with the most rebounds per game in a single season in the history of the franchise. This impressive haul of 24.7 boards per contest in the 1963-64 campaign is the fourth-best individual rebounding season in league history. He led the league in that campaign ahead of Chamberlain, who averaged 22.3 boards per outing, and also finished in third place in the MVP voting after adding 15.0 points per contest.
Bill Russell – 1964-65, 24.1 RPG
Russell led the league again in boards per game in the 1964-65 campaign, and as if it were a “déjà vu” from the 1963-64 season, he also did it ahead of Chamberlain. The margin was closer this time around, though. Russell grabbed 24.1 boards per game that season, while Chamberlain ended in second place with an average of 23.0 rebounds per contest. Russell would end up winning the fifth and final MVP award of his career in this season after also averaging 14.1 points per contest.
Bill Russell – 1959-60, 24.0 RPG
The 1959-60 season was one of three– and the first from a chronological perspective — in which the star big man grabbed at least 24.0 rebounds per game. However, and unlike what happened in the other two in which he reached that mark, Russell finished in second place in the rebounding leaderboard behind Chamberlain, who would end up averaging 27.0 rebounds per game. Those were the ninth best (Russell) and second-best (Chamberlain) rebounding seasons in league history. Russell finished second in the MVP race that season after averaging 18.2 points per game as well.
Bill Russell – 1960-61, 23.9 RPG
Russell averaged 23.9 rebounds per game in the 1960-61 campaign, and just like it happened in the year prior, the star big man finished second in the rebounding race behind Chamberlain. The latter averaged 27.2 rebounds per game in this campaign, a feat that remains the best-ever rebounding season by a single NBA/ABA player in league history. During that 1960-61 season, Russell also averaged 16.9 points per game en route to winning the second MVP award of his career.
Bill Russell – 1962-63, 23.6 RPG
The last season of his list belongs to the seventh year of Russell’s career, a year in which he won the MVP award after averaging 23.6 rebounds and 16.8 points per contest. Chamberlain led the NBA in rebounds that season with 24.3 boards per game, but Russell was crowned the best player in the league while also ending in the All-NBA 1st-Team and making the All-Star Game.
