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6’10” Bill Russell’s epitaph should come out of Pepsi and Kyrie Irving’s $5 million “Uncle Drew” ad

Jeet Pukhrambam
Published

6'10" Bill Russell's epitaph should come out of Pepsi and Kyrie Irving's $5 million ad "Uncle Drew"

Bill Russell’s demise has closed the curtain on an era of greats. For his epitaph, his line from Kyrie Irving’s Uncle Drew movie is apt.

6’10” Bill Russell’s epitaph should come out of Pepsi and Kyrie Irving’s $5 million ad “Uncle Drew”

As the world pours in its tributes to the late great Bill Russell, it is only right that we shower him with love and affection as we look back at the life of one of the game’s greatest ever players.

Mr. Russell was nothing short of phenomenal during his time. Winning an unprecedented 11 NBA Titles as a player. In fact, he won in 11 out of the 13 seasons he played, an 85% title-winning record!


Legends in the mold of Bill Russell will likely never grace us in the future. He pioneered the game and paved the way for modern big men in the NBA, we are short of words when it comes to describing the impact he has had on the game.

Off the court, he was a champion of the people. Standing up for the rights of people and fighting deeply entrenched racism, during a time when speaking out was dangerous, Bill Russell is the reason why the NBA is as it is today.

In his tribute, we think he has given us some of the greatest lines in basketball movie history and one of them should be his epitaph.

Also read: 6ft 10” Bill Russell once won an MVP over 7’1” Wilt Chamberlain averaging 50 PPG and triple-double averaging Oscar Robertson

6’10” Bill Russell tells “Uncle Drew” aka Kyrie Irving that the game has always been and always will be about buckets!

Truer words have never been spoken. The game of basketball is not based on statistics or passes, or dribbles, it is about getting a bucket.

The commercial, which was sponsored by Pepsi Max revolves around an aging streetball player by the name of “Uncle Drew”, played by Kyrie Irving.

In the promo, Drew meets Bill Russel, who delivers an epic line, “What these ‘young bloods’ have to understand, that this game has always been and always be about buckets!

Russell also says “Uncle Drew” is a real baller! But to us, Mr. Russell was the real one. As we celebrate his legacy and impact on the game of basketball, we will be digging our archives to find more stories on the late great Bill Russell. Stay tuned to this space for more.

Also read: 6’10” Bill Russell hilariously revealed his sassier side, flipped Charles Barkley off on live, national television

About the author

Jeet Pukhrambam

Jeet Pukhrambam

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Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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