The second annual NBA Awards show is in the books. James Harden was named MVP, Ben Simmons took home Rookie of the Year and Dwane Casey won Coach of the Year after being fired, then hired by a different team. It was an interesting and entertaining night, and made even more so by NBA legend Bill Russell.
The Hall of Famer and Celtics great was in the crowd in Los Angeles, and managed to steal the show in the span of just a few seconds. Ahead of a lifetime achievement award for Oscar Robertson, Charles Barkley took some time to thank many of the NBA legends in attendance. When he got to Russell, the 11-time champion responded by casually flipping the bird at Barkley.
It was easily the funniest -- and most spontaneous -- moment of the night. It became even more hilarious when Russell tweeted about it a few minutes later. He explained that it's just a natural reaction when he sees Barkley, and also used the hashtag "#birdman," which was a nice touch.
Last year, Russell was actually on stage to present an award with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and David Robinson, and joked that he could kick all of their asses.
Tune in next year to see what hijinks Mr. Russell will have in store.