Bill Russell didn’t need to be in the house to recognize LeBron James’ enduring greatness.
The Boston Celtics legend congratulated the Los Angeles Lakers superstar on his latest feat of basketball glory Sunday. Shortly after the Lakers beat the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to clinch their 17th title in franchise history, the league bestowed the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award on James, prompting the 86-year-old to send his well wishes via Twitter.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be in the (NBA Orlando) bubble (to present the award personally), but I wanted to say congratulations to LeBron James for winning the Bill Russell award,” Russell said.
James’ resume now includes four NBA championships and four Bill Russell Finals MVP Awards. He previously won it in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat and in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, 35, has little chance of matching Russell’s record 11 Finals triumphs, but he remains a dominant force in the modern NBA, as Russell and others have noted in their kudos to him.
