Bill Russell addresses what happened during Kevin Durant’s NBA Finals MVP ceremony
"I know how it feels to get caught up in the energy of the win."
Celtics legend Bill Russell clarified what happened during Warriors forward Kevin Durant’s trophy presentation Friday night.
After Golden State’s title-clinching 108-85 victory, Russell and NBA commissioner Adam Silver were on the court at Quicken Loans Arena to present Durant with the NBA Finals MVP award — an honor that was named after Russell in 2009.
Durant high-fived and celebrated with several of his teammates, but did not appear to acknowledge Russell, before accepting the hardware.
Kevin Durant receives the Bill Russell #NBAFinals Most Valuable Player Award! #DubNation #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/No9jli12gd
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2018
Russell, however, said he and Durant chatted after the formal presentation.
“People are giving [Kevin Durant] a hard time for not shaking my hand,” Russell wrote on Twitter early Saturday morning. “I know how it feels to get caught up in the energy of the win. He did come over, shook my hand, and had a nice exchange. He has always been respectful.”
People are giving @KDTrey5 a hard time for not shaking my hand. I know how it feels to get caught up in the energy of the win. He did come over, shook my hand & had a nice exchange. He has always been respectful. @warriors @nba @espn @BleacherReport #NBAFinals @NBATV #FinalsMVP pic.twitter.com/84ZKlCzdn2
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) June 9, 2018
Durant became just the sixth player in league history to be named Finals MVP in back-to-back seasons. During last year’s postgame ceremony, he did shake Russell’s hand prior to hoisting the trophy.
