When Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl title on Sunday, the debate on who is the greatest athlete ever intensified.
The Patriots-turned-Buccaneers quarterback’s career accomplishments have been compared to the likes of Serena Williams, LeBron James, and Tiger Woods, among several others in recent days.
One of the other athletes Brady’s been compared to is Michael Jordan. Brady’s recent Super Bowl title moved him past the former Bulls superstar for the player that has the most championships between the two, sparking the debate on if Brady’s a better all-time athlete than Jordan.
As the debate has raged on social media, a Twitter user posted an image of Jordan wearing his six rings and a photoshopped image of Brady wearing his then-six rings, making the same pose as Jordan. “There’s a table….. and only these two can sit at it,” the user wrote with a goat emoji.
That’s where Bill Russell decided to chime in. The Celtics legend, who turned 87 on Friday, replied to the tweet by writing “Your getting closer” and attached an image of him wearing six title rings.
Your getting closer @nba @nfl @BleacherReport @SLAMonline @espn https://t.co/cVAwvSt0y7 pic.twitter.com/Oll2mvW1vg
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) February 12, 2021
Of course, Russell has more than six NBA titles as he won 11 championships with the Celtics. As a matter of fact, Russell won an NBA title in all but two of his 13 NBA seasons, and his 11 championships are tied for the most titles won by any player in any of the four major North American sports.
Russell’s tweet on Friday isn’t the first time he’s chimed in on the recent debate. Former Colts coach Tony Dungy refuted an ESPN analyst’s claim that Brady is the greatest winner in team sports by tweeting Russell’s career accomplishments.
Russell thanked Dungy, and did a little bragging too.
“8 of those in a row,” Russell wrote of his 11 titles. “Thanks for the shout out Coach.”
8 of those in a row. Thanks for the shout out Coach 🙏🏾 https://t.co/uA0Ty0LS6l
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) February 10, 2021
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