Jerry West heard J.J. Redick’s “plumbers and firemen” remark about Bob Cousy and the NBA legend is firing right back at him.
The 84-year-old basketball legend appeared on SiriusXM NBA and was asked about the comments that Redick made on “First Take” in a debate with Chris Russo that downplayed Cousy’s competition.
“Obviously the game is completely different. The athletes are completely different. I know J.J. a little bit, a very smart kid and everything — but tell me what his career looked like,” West answered. “What did he do that determined games? He averaged, what, 12 points a game in the league?
“Somewhere along the line, numbers count. At that point in time, the players aren’t what they used to be. J.J. certainly wasn’t gonna guard the elite players. And so you can nitpick anyone. The only reason I’m talking about him is he was not an elite player. He was a very good player. But he had a place on a team because of his ability to shoot the ball.”
Redick responded during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take that Cousy “was being guarded by plumbers and firemen” and played during a time when there were “eight teams in the NBA and you had to win two playoff series.”
“J.J. should be very thankful that he’s made as much as he made, and Bob Cousy, who I played against for a couple years [laid the way] … I just think it’s very disrespectful, myself.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
Redick averaged 12.8 points for his career.
West, a Hall of Famer and one-time NBA champion as a player who averaged 27.0 points across his 14-year career, ultimately became the model for the league’s logo.
