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Bob Cousy Rips JJ Redick Over ‘Plumbers And Firemen’ Comparison

The other week, JJ Redick got into an on-air argument with Chris Russo, after Russo said that Bob Cousy was a better point guard than Chris Paul.

Redick took offense by this statement and tried to make his point by saying that one can’t compare players from pre-1980 to today’s players. Russo then insisted that this would indeed be valid, leading to Redick getting mad and say that Bob Cousy was being guarded by ‘plumbers and firemen’.

“[Bob Cousy] had 29 assists in an NBA game.” – Chris Russo

“Well, he was being guarded by plumbers and firemen” – JJ Redick

Sir. pic.twitter.com/8qmeARNeOj

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 20, 2022

Cousy obviously caught wind of Redick’s statement and responded while making an appearance on Sirius XM NBA Radio. The Celtics legend not only defended his fellow firemen and plumbers, he also ripped Redick in the process.

“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.

So when you respond to something like this, you play into their hands. I won’t do that, but I will defend the firemen and the plumbers that he referenced. And I’ll just give you a few of the names of these firemen that I played with and against during those years. How about Bill Russell, the aforementioned, not too bad a player. Wilt Chamberlain, remember that guy? He wasn’t bad. I guess he must have fought fires as well.”

“I guess [Wilt Chamberlain] must have fought fires as well”

NBA legend Bob Cousy reacts to J.J. Redick’s comments about Cousy playing against “plumbers and firemen” with @termineradio and @jumpshot8 pic.twitter.com/D4x9TVmvlD

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 19, 2022