The Mel Counts Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Friday, May 20th, 2005
You played alongside two of the greatest players in NBA history – Bill
Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. What was this like for you?
You’re
talking about two of the greatest players to ever suit up in the NBA, so it
was an honor to play alongside of them. They also afforded me the
opportunity to play some at the forward position. It was quite a learning
process. You're talking about two of the best ever. As I’ve said, Bill
Russell that in 13 seasons won 11 championships. He was the greatest team
player the game has ever seen. And Wilt, well he was arguably the most
dominant offensive force of all-time.
Of
your time spent with the team, do you have a fond memory or an amusing story
that stands out most?
I
have a story that stands out, but it’s actually sad rather than amusing. I
remember one time, in the dressing room – and this was when John Thompson
was my roommate – and John came into the locker room, and his uniform wasn’t
hanging up. That’s how he found out that he was no longer on the team. I
thought that that was a poor way to communicate with him. John was such a
good person, that I thought the Celtics could have done a better job of
handling his release.
I remember another story as well – we would always meet at the end of the season to divide up the playoff money, and I remember John being there. Woody Sauldsberry, too. And the team voted to give John and Woody a half of a share, as opposed to a full share, because they really hadn’t played a lot that season. I think John played 10 games, and Woody had played in about half of the games. Well, John stood up in the meeting and objected. He felt that if you were a member of the team, then you were deserving of a full share or none at all. It was a very impassioned speech on his part, and the team responded to that by giving each of them a full share. I was really happy with the way it worked out for John and Woody – as I indicated, back then there just wasn’t a lot of money to go around.
One thing you learned very quickly about that team was that they did a lot of things together – gatherings, dinners, that sort of thing. I don’t think they do that so much anymore. It used to be that the team would socialize a lot together. As I went on to other teams, the people that I associated more with were my neighbors. But in Boston it was much more of a family atmosphere. But when it came to game time it was serious.
Let's talk life after basketball. What have you been up to in the years
since retiring from the NBA?
I
have been a realtor for twenty-eight years, listing and selling properties,
investing in properties, that sort of thing. I’ve been very involved in the
pro-life movement, and I belong to the traditional Catholic Church. I’m
very involved in my community – I’ve been on the school board for eight
years, and I’ve been on a hospital board for three. In the past I’ve given
talks to churches, schools and clubs, which is part of giving back for all
that I’ve received through the years. I still fish and hunt quite a bit as
well, and I do some biking. There’s an organization in Oregon called ‘Cycle
Oregon’, and there are 2,000 cyclists that take part in this. I’ve been on
four or five rides so far, one of which starts close to the Idaho border and
goes all the way to the beach – it’s about a 500 mile ride. I have five
children and thirteen grandchildren, and another on the way, so were pretty
involved with the kids and their activities, and the grandkids. I’ve just
been enjoying life and thanking God for all of his blessings.
Final Question: You’ve achieved great success in your life. You are
universally respected and admired by many people, both inside and outside of
the NBA. If you could offer one piece of advice on life to others, what
would that be?
Have
trust and faith in God and his teachings. Always try to do the right thing
and reach out and help others, because there is always someone else out
there a little worse off. Put yourself out there to others instead of
always thinking about yourself.