1. Boston Celtics - Signing Bill Russell, Cementing A Dynasty
Bill Russell is the most successful player in NBA history, winning an unbelievable 11 championship rings. As if this needed putting into any further perspective, he was in the league for 13 years, meaning that his Boston Celtics only failed to win the championship twice with him at the helm. Russell is an extraordinary success story we may never see repeated in the NBA; it's therefore unthinkable to imagine he was almost never a Celtic at all. The Celtics were too successful a team to secure a good draft pick in 1956, but coach Red Auerbach suspected that the Rochester Royals (owners of the first pick) were unlikely to select Russell, already having a similarly dominant rebounder in the form of Maurice Stokes. He then was forced to give up two fantastic players in the form of seven-time all star centre Ed Macauley and promising youngster Cliff Hagan, but felt it was worth it to secure the services of the young rookie. It proved to be a flawless decision, securing Boston an incredible 11 NBA Championships and making them the most successful franchise in league history - an accolade they still hold today.
