That “take” on the great Bill Russell is attributed to legendary Celtic jack-of-all-trades Tom Heinsohn … I spotted it while re-visiting Bill Reynolds’s Birth of a Dynasty. While Reynolds notes the statement as “famous” and implies it was offered after their playing days were over, no further attribution is offered.
There’s plenty of documentation for the befuddled head-scratching that was spreading across the not-yet-branded Celtic Nation exactly half a century ago as the August 4, 1969 issue of Sports Illustrated was hitting newsstands and mailboxes coast-to-coast. A smiling Big Bill enjoying a day at the golf course in the aftermath of yet another championship season adorns the cover.