Russell Rule #7: Personal Integrity

Russell Rule # 7: Personal Integrity

I will deemphasize the few moralistic themes Russ cited in this chapter and will stick to personal integrity as it affects basketball. As usual, he cites three sub-rules:

Rule 1: Take responsibility for everything you do.

Rule 2: Stand behind the choices you make.

Rule 3: Be fully present in everything you're doing.

Russ goes out of his way to stress how he would not have wanted to play at any other time than the years spanned by his career or with any other team than the Celtics—financial possibilities notwithstanding. He
mentions the well-known story about asking for $100,001 when Chamberlain was making $100,000. It's a nice story, although I'm not sure what it has to do with integrity.

Russ mentions that Frank Ramsey used to bypass Red at salary time. He'd just sign a blank contract and leave it on owner Walter Brown's desk, knowing Walter would take care of him.

Integrity becomes more relevant in Russ' discussion of how the Celts of his time were managed. Each player was considered, in some way, his own boss when he was on the floor. "Our few plays had so many variations
because it was expected that the players would constantly use their creativity so that other teams could never successfully set up against us. We were a model of integrity because each of us so clearly understood who he was, what he had to do for himself and the team."

Russ wraps up the chapter with this: "Above all, (integrity) will permit you to act and to live as a winner, no matter what your station in life."