When Bill Russell got dominated by sophomore John Block: "He went up, and I went up, and I dunked two-handed on him"

bill-russell

In his NBA career, John Block was a true journeyman, having played for a total of seven franchises. Among those numerous stints, there was one particular moment that truly shone. This holds true because neither he nor anyone else could have foreseen him making such a big play, which took place during a matchup against the opposing big man Bill Russell in the 1967-68 season.

“We were playing a doubleheader in Philadelphia, and [Bill Russell] was guarding me out in the corner. I made a fake and stepped through, and drove to the middle. He went up, and I went up, and I dunked two-handed on him,” Block remembered, per SDNews.com.

From benchwarmer to dunking on Russ

Several factors contribute to the amazement of Block’s play. Firstly, it came against Russell, one of the GOATs and one of the most dominant shot blockers ever. Unsurprisingly, dominating Russ became a one-time delight for the then-sophomore.

“I said to myself as I went down the court, ‘Oh my gosh’ I can’t believe it, I just dunked on Bill Russell.’ Never again did I dunk on Russell,” he remembered.

Adding to the sentiment was the fact that during his rookie season, Block primarily rode the bench. The young center/forward had been selected during the 1966 Draft by his hometown team, the L.A. Lakers, but only appeared in just 22 games for them, averaging 2.9 points.

The league expanding to 12 teams became a blessing in disguise for Block. He was drafted by the San Diego Rockets in the expansion draft, where his career truly took off. In his first year there, he posted averages of a team-high 20.2 points per game and 11 rebounds per game.

Riley called him an ‘unsung hero’

Block had his moment of redemption for the Lakers’ oversight of his talents on January 9, 1972. At that time, the Purple and Gold, riding a 33-game winning streak, squared off against the Bucks, the franchise he had joined a year prior. It would prove to be a challenging task for John as the opposing center was none other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“I remember John Block got like 20 points in the game, and even though they had Kareem, that he was a big, big difference-maker in that game,” recounted Pat Riley.

To be concise, John’s contributions officially totaled 17 points and ten rebounds when the Bucks ended the Lakers’ winning streak, which must have been satisfying for Block. ‘The Godfather,’ who entered the league around the same time, once also described him as “sort of the unsung hero.”

However, the 6’9’’ player wasn’t as unsung anymore when, in the latter stages of his career, he finally got his due for his great performances. This recognition came with a selection to the 1973 All-Star Game, which included numerous Hall of Famers like Kareem, Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Frazier, and John Havlicek.

While Block never entered the Hall of Fame himself, it’s truly remarkable how he forged a successful career after a rather disappointing rookie season while making some exceptional plays along the way.