A year and a half before this particular Famous First, even as the GOAT was navigating his way through his very first NBA playoff series, his chief rival-to-be was squaring off in the NCAA Semi-Finals with the defending national champion USF Dons, whose roster by then featured Bill’s older brother Charles (who’d served a hitch in the military before pursuing his university degree).
Charles Russell would provide coach Phil Woolpert with a couple of points and rebounds per game off the bench over 43 appearances during his two-year stint … before going on to a distinguished and award-winning career as playwright.