The last 22 cards of the 1961–62 Fleer set are action photographs, arranged alphabetically by player, each with a caption of its own. Russell's, number 62, is titled “Takes to the Air.”
It shows what the caption promises. Russell is in the air, the ball held high in one hand, floating past two Philadelphia defenders on the way to the basket. For a man known first for defense and rebounding, it is a photograph of the other half of the game.
A man known first for defense, photographed in flight, over two defenders.
The back is printed sideways, and its write-up turns back to his strength: how often his rebounds started the Celtics' offense. The two Fleer cards between them cover the whole of him, the portrait at #38 and the player in flight here.
He was the league's Most Valuable Player in 1960–61, the season before the card, and again in 1961–62, the season it was sold, and the Celtics won the championship both years.
The set was printed in a single series in equal numbers, so the In Action cards are no scarcer than the portraits. Centering is the problem across the set, here as on the portraits.
