Bill Russell is the biggest winner in NBA history, collecting 11 championships during his honored career. The Boston Celtics legend was a tremendous competitor. Even though the competition wasn’t that hard for him, Bill knew how to win and did with unmatched consistency.
After his career was over, Russell kept getting praise and awards for his contributions on and off the court, becoming one of the most respected legends out there. Still, his competitiveness never went away, and Russell never missed a chance to remind people how dominant he was.
Back in 2017, the Celtics icon received the Lifetime Achievement Award in the first edition of the NBA Awards. Five NBA greats presented the prize to Russell: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Dikembe Mutombo, and Alonzo Mourning.
When it was his turn to talk, Bill didn’t miss the chance to diss all of them, saying a one-liner that made the public lose it.
“Where did they find all these tall people?” he first asked.
After that, he pointed at each of the players before dropping the bomb.
“I would kick your ass,” Russell said while the crowd laughed and applauded.
Still, Russell let these five players know how proud he was of them, paying his respect to all these legends.
“You have no idea how much respect I have for you guys,” he said. “You made me proud to have played the same game as you.”
Besides being one of the biggest winners in league history, Russell meant much more than that to people. He fought for civil rights and had to go through hell to be respected and earn the right to be called one of the greatest of all time.
He never lost touch and developed great relationships with the players that came after him. He almost considered Kobe Bryant a son, was very close to Michael Jordan, and more.
There are not many legends like Bill Russell in the world of sports. That short but hilarious interaction shows why he is who he is.
