Bill Russell: Legend

As much fun as the documentary is — and it’s a wonderful tribute to its subject — this is a series that is not content to just shut up and dribble. It has a lot to say and, like Bill Russell, it doesn’t care if the viewer finds offense in the truth.

The best documentaries don’t reduce their subject to the public impression of them but unpack what even fans didn’t know to make them more three-dimensional than a highlight reel. I respected what Bill Russell meant to the NBA before this project. Now I respect what he meant to history.

If you’re a basketball fan, you’re surely familiar with the broad strokes of Bill Russell’s greatness, but if you want the whole story, Bill Russell: Legend is a worthwhile telling of it.

Legend remains watchable from back to front simply because this guy and his life and career are just fascinating.

Comprehensive non-fiction portrait. ... Director Pollard consistently draws links between Russell’s hardcourt play and his guiding desire to prioritize team triumph over individual accomplishments. Through cannily edited sequences, he demonstrates the many ways, big and small, that Russell put his selfless ethos into practice.

“Bill Russell: Legend” will not say anything new to well-versed basketball heads. However, it’s a worthy watch for those who want to get to grips with one of the greatest players of all time.

There’s a very good balance between the game footage, which accentuates Russell’s grace and athleticism, and the interviews, which concentrate on his intensity and, perhaps more than anything, his intellect. ... Structurally, Bill Russell: Legend is sometimes confusing or just lacking. The decision to cut the 93-minute first section off with Bob Cousy’s retirement is semi-arbitrary, and then an awful lot of the 107-minute second section is set after Russell’s retirement and comes across as strangely under-sourced.