“It Just is Pure Instinct: When NBA Legend Bill Russell Flipped Off Charles Barkley on Live TV
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Bill Russell has always been one of a kind, be it on the court or on the screen. The legendary center never fails to entertain the audience. One of the most hilarious Bill Russell moments was curated when he did to Charles Barkley what most basketball fans have wanted to do at one point or the other. When Charles Barkley and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar addressed Russell during the lifetime achievement segment of the 2018 NBA Awards, Russell gave us this gem.
Bill Russell flips off Charles Barkley on live TV
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As the camera was panned toward the 11x champ, he surprised everyone and gave Charles Barkley the Jersey Salute. Bill was smiling while showing Barkley the finger, and so was everyone else who was present at the award show. Bill later apologized in a tweet saying: “Sorry everyone“. He also explained the reason: “I forgot it was live TV & I can’t help myself whenever I see Charles it just is pure instinct.”
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Sorry everyone, I forgot it was live TV & I can’t help myself whenever I see Charles it just is pure instinct. @NBAonTNT @NBA #birdman #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/0zQLvWhuKi
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) June 26, 2018
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The Boston Celtics legend also shared an image of the incident along with the tweet. Bill Russell single-handedly took the spotlight away from James Harden, who won the MVP award over LeBron James. Russell recently posted the infamous clip again on his Twitter account.
Oops! I was hoping we could forget about this. https://t.co/3pc0O9D2aj
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) June 25, 2020
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However, this wasn’t the first time Bill Russell had done something of this sort. The year prior, he took the stage with legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, and Shaquille O’Neal when he jokingly said “I would kick your ass.” What makes the incident even funnier is that these guys were presenting him with the Lifetime Achievement award when he made this statement.
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