Bill Russell squares off against Drew Bledsoe in the first round of Boston’s Biggest Sports Legend tournament.
Bill Russell has a championship ring for every finger and one for a toe. The 11-time NBA champion, five-time MVP and 12-time All-Star is Boston’s winningest player ever. A Celtic for his entire 13-year NBA career, Russell tallied 14,522 points, 21,620 rebounds and 4,100 assists for the Green, leading to the retirement of his No. 6. Arguably the greatest defensive player in the game’s history, Russell is the all-time playoff leader in total rebounds (4,104) and rebounds per game (24.9), grabbing 40 rebounds in three separate postseason contests. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975, Russell was selected to the All-NBA First and Second Teams a combined 11 times. In 2009, the NBA named the Finals MVP trophy in Russell’s honor, a fitting gesture to recognize the most decorated athlete in Boston sports history.
Just because Tom Brady came along does not mean that we should forget about Drew Bledsoe. Some fans believe that Bledsoe could have achieved the same level of prominence as Brady. The Patriots selected Bledsoe with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 draft, and from there, he engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of the franchise in 1994 – leading New England to the postseason for the first time in eight years. In 1996, the Patriots met Brett Favre and the Packers in the Super Bowl. New England lost, but the turnaround was almost complete. The Patriots were contenders again, and Bledsoe was rewarded with a record 10-year, $103 million contract in 2001. Then, Mo Lewis struck. In the second game of that season, Bledsoe took a brutal hit from the Jets’ linebacker and was replaced by Tom Brady for good. Brady won three Super Bowls, but Bledsoe was instrumental in transforming the franchise to give No. 12 the chance.
« 8. Gerry Cheevers vs. 9. Nomar Garciaparra | 2. Carl Yastrzemski vs. 15. Reggie Lewis »
