Bob Cousy, 93 Year Old All-Time NBA Great, Torches Newly Obnoxious JJ Redick

It's been more than 50 years since Bob Cousy last played an NBA game, but that's not preventing him from taking shots at retired sharpshooter JJ Redick.

"People with less talent will always try to make a name for themselves by criticizing other people and hopefully getting some attention and perhaps increasing their credibility," Cousy told SiriusXM NBA Radio.

Cousy's comment was made after he was asked to respond to Redick's criticisms of pre-1980 NBA players. An era in which Redick said to ESPN: "Bob Cousy won championships when there were eight teams in the NBA and you had to win two playoff series. Let’s celebrate Bob Cousy in his era, but you can’t compare pre-1980 with the modern NBA."

Redick later added that Cousy, 93, was "being guarded by plumbers and firemen."










As Cousy sees it, those fireman and plumbers were pretty damn good. Mainly guys like Russell and Chamberlain who torched plenty of nets and clogged quite a few lanes.

"So when you respond to something like this, you play into their hands. I won’t do that, but I will defend the firemen and the plumbers that he referenced, said Cousy. "And I’ll just give you a few of the names of these firemen that I played with and against during those years.

"How about Bill Russell, the aforementioned, not too bad a player. Wilt Chamberlain, remember that guy? He wasn’t bad. I guess he must have fought fires as well. But in any event, Wilt Chamberlain."

Cousy then rattled off a rolodex of star players from his era including guys like Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Bob Pettit, before concluding: "We must have had the best firemen and plumbers on the planet at the time. And I was very proud to play with all of them."

Redick, not known for making comments that people remember or care much about, has been on a roll recently. Earlier this month he ripped Chris "Mad Dog" Russo for comments about Draymond Green. He was so off-base even Stephen A. Smith defended Russo.

 












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Anthony is a former high school basketball intramural champion who played a leading role in creating two offspring. He spends his weekends hoping for an MTV Rock N' Jock revival. Follow him on X (@OhioAF).