Reigning NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown claims that the former Boston Celtic superstar Bill Russell is the greatest player ever. According to the one-time champion, the legendary big man embodied what a true winner was on and off the court.
" My GOAT NBA player is Bill Russell. One, he got 11 championships, was a Boston Celtics, and on top of that, everything he stood for off the court make him my GOAT ," Brown said in a recent interview with Complex.
Winning the Bill Russell Finals MVP
Despite being the winningest player in NBA history championships-wise, Russell is rarely mentioned in the same category as Michael Jordan or LeBron James . Perhaps the biggest reason for that is that the 11-time champion played in the '50s and '60s. However, according to Brown, Russell's impact off the court is what truly matters.
That's why it meant a lot for the three-time All-Star to win the Finals MVP along with his first championship — the individual award is named after his GOAT.
"T o be honest, I can't even put it into words," Brown said about his Finals MVP. "Just Bill Russell and what he's meant for me through my Boston journey and his spirit. You know, everything that he stood for, just for this to be the Bill Russell MVP Award, it just—I've got nothing, man. I don't even know what to say. It's unreal ."
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Brown wishes he was teammates with Russell
It's nice to see someone of Brown's stature appreciate Russell for his achievements on and off the court. Even before the legend passed away, the Celtics guard was a huge fan of the five-time MVP.
As an activist, Jaylen liked how Bill was one of the few players who boycotted the NBA to push for civil rights after his teammates faced racial injustice in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1961. Russell was also at the March on Washington in 1963, standing close to Dr. Marthin Luther King when he delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech. The Celtics legend also supported boxer Muhammad Ali's decision to go to prison instead of fighting in the Vietnam War.
These, among many other local efforts, made Russell one of—if not the greatest—activists in NBA history.
" I think I would have stood there right with him. At least he would have had somebody else on his team that felt as strongly as him, and maybe we could have moved more mountains together ," Brown said.
Unfortunately for Jaylen, their NBA careers didn't overlap. However, that doesn't mean he can't continue the legacy his GOAT left behind. Outside of making an impact on the court, the 27-year-old wants to be the NBA's No.1 activist, fighting for what he believes is right.
Related: "He called him every racist name you can think of” - Boston guard lost his mind when he got cut by Bill Russell
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