Bill Russell, the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame center, despite his amazing defense and rebounding, was noted for two deficiencies: William Fenton Russell was a poor foul shooter, and he was an even worse autograph signer. Russell played his entire 13-year pro career with the Boston Celtics (1956-69). The 6'9" leaper led the Celtics to an incredible 11 NBA Championships in his playing career. He was one of basketball's greatest winners: He led the University of San Francisco Dons to consecutive national Championships in 1955 and '56, then led the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team to the Gold Medal in the '56 Summer Olympics. He averaged a mammoth 22.5 TRB in the NBA and had a pro scoring average of 15.1 PPG. Very intelligent, Russell was the first major player to perfect blocking a shot straight up in the air and then grabbing the ball himself (rather than knocking it out of bounds and letting the other team have possession again). After grabbing the ball he blocked, Russell would start a fast break with a long outlet pass. He was a player-coach in his later Celtics years and a coach with the Seattle Supersonics and the Sacramento Kings. He also had a long reign as a basketball television color commentator. As for his foul shooting, he had a very much struggling charity line percentage of .561 for his NBA play. Regarding autographs, Bill Russell could have possibly signed fewer than the number of his made foul shots. Most often, with adults, he refused to sign. With youngsters, he often would say to them that he felt autographs were impersonal and that he would be happy to talk with the young person because that was personal, but he would not give a signature. Hence, a Russell signature is not something we see in excess.

The offered signed Russell check is from the First Line Seattle First National Bank. Machine-printed on the check's upper left is "William F. Russell, Travel Account 221 West Harrison/Seattle, Washington." The check measures 2.75x6". It was filled out by an unknown hand, and neatly signed by the Celtic great as "William F. Russell" in large script, in blue ballpoint ink. The check is made out to "Vibrations," dated August 2, 1971, and is in the amount of $25.00. The check has been cashed, and it is in excellent condition. Bill Russell passed away in 2022. Other players have surpassed him in various statistics, and he played all of his career before blocked shots, his specialty, became an official statistic (1973-74), but as for simply winning, Russell was beyond compare.