NBA legend Jerry West says JJ Redick’s comments about Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy playing a lower level of competition were “very disrespectful.”
In an April episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” Redick, an NBA played turned TV analyst and podcaster, downplayed the competition level Cousy faced, saying they were “plumbers and firemen” in the the1950s and 1960s.
“(JJ’s) a very smart kid and everything but tell me what his career looks like,” West said recently in an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “What did he do that determined games? He averaged 12 points a game in the league. Somewhere along the way numbers count … JJ certainly wasn’t going to guard the elite players. So you can nitpick anyone. The only reason I’m talking about him is because he was not an elite player, but he was a very good player, but he had the place on the team because of the ability to shoot the ball.”
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Redick’s comments came during a debate with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo that revolved around all-time point guards and Chris Paul.
Redick said Cousy could not dribble with his non-dominant hand, questioned if he ever shot over 40 percent during his career and said, “he was being guarded by plumbers and firemen.”
West said Redick and players nowadays should be appreciative of the pay and the state of the NBA now because in the 1950s and ’60s, it was not easy to improve their basketball games.
“We didn’t have the facilities to get better,” West said. “We had to work in the summer to support our family. But JJ should be very thankful that he’s made as much money he’s made.”
In May, Cousy fired back at Redick on SiriusXM NBA RadioNBA, defending the players he played against such as Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson.
“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 said. “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.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jerry West calls JJ Redick’s Bob Cousy comments ‘very disrespectful’
