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NBA legend Jerry West does not appreciate the claim of former NBA player and ESPN analyst JJ Redick, that six-time NBA champion Bob Cousy played against “lightmen and firemen.”
Redick made the comments in April when he and “First Take” panelist Chris “Mad Dog” Russo were arguing Phoenix Suns base Chris Paul.
ESPN broadcasters Dave Pasch and JJ Redick before a game between the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns at FTX Arena on March 9, 2022 in Miami, Florida (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“We celebrate Bob Cousy in his era, but you can’t compare pre-1980 to the modern NBA,” Redick said.
“He was guarded by plumbers and firefighters,” Redick continued as Russo argued that Cousy “changed the game.”
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Now, West is hitting back, calling Redick’s comments “disrespectful.”
“Obviously, the game is completely different, the athletes are completely different,” West said on Sirius XM NBA Radio. “And I know JJ a little bit. He’s a really smart kid and all, but tell me what his career was like? What did he do for certain games? He averaged 12 points a game in the league. At some point along the way, numbers count.
LA Clippers executive board member Jerry West attends a game between the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets during the 2022 NBA Summer League at the Thomas and Mack Center on July 7, 2022 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“The only reason I’m talking about him is because he wasn’t 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.”
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West’s NBA career overlapped Cousy’s for a few years, with West playing for 14 years from 1960 to 1974. Cousy played from 1950 to 1963 before retiring for six years. He made a comeback during the 1969-1970 season, appearing in seven games with the Cincinnati Royals. Cousy won six championships as a member of the Boston Celtics and was named to the All-NBA first team 10 times.
ESPN analysts JJ Redick and Mark Jones during Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2022 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2022, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images)
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“My time, I was an athlete way before my team,” West continued. “I had great verticality and probably nobody in the league was much faster than me. And certainly the competitive part of it, I would also put myself up there with any player who played the game today. Winning is all that matters .That’s what drove me.And suddenly I got better every year.We didn’t have facilities to get better.We had to work in the summers to support our families.
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“JJ should be very thankful that he’s made as much money as he has. And Bob Cousy, who I played against for a couple of years … I think it’s very distressing.”
Redick played 15 years in the NBA for six teams and averaged 12.8 points per game.
Joe Morgan is a sports reporter for Fox News.