If there's anyone who could beat out the likes of Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, and Elvin Hayes for the best professional basketball player in the state of Louisiana, it would be none other than Bill Russell. If we're strictly talking about winning, Bill Russell is the greatest basketball of all-time without a doubt. Matter of fact, Russell is tied with professional hockey player, Henri Richard, for the most championship wins by an athlete in North America. Surprisingly, Bill Russell's winning ways didn't start in the NBA.
The 6'10 center from Monroe, Louisiana led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. That same year, Russell led the Men's US National Basketball team to a gold medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Somehow, Russell ended up the second overall pick of the 1956 NBA Draft where he went on to win eleven NBA Championships, win five MVP honors, and be selected for the NBA All-Star team a total of twelve times. What we want to know is... Who doesn't pick the guy who just won back-to-back college championships and a gold medal first in the NBA Draft? Simpletons.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.