Bill Russell Flips Charles Barkley the Bird During NBA Awards Ceremony

NBA legend and Hall of Famer Bill Russell, gave fellow Hall of Famer Charles Barkley the middle finger during an NBA awards ceremony on Monday night.

According to USA Today, “While Monday night’s award show went largely as planned – Ben Simmons took home Rookie of the Year and Dwane Casey, formerly of the Toronto Raptors, won Coach of the Year – Bill Russell had other plans as Charles Barkley introduced Oscar Robertson for his Lifetime Achievement Award.

“As Barkley went around the room, thanking NBA legends for their contributions, he got to Russell, who promptly flipped Barkley the bird.”

Watch: (NSFW)

BILL RUSSELL IS THE TRUE GOAT pic.twitter.com/KaQu6OgzJU

— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 26, 2018

Charles Barkley normally provokes strong reactions among those who know him, and even many who don’t. However, Russell’s reaction seems puzzling.

What’s the beef?

No one seems to know for sure. Russell has become quite active in media recently. On Sunday, Russell took to Twitter to rip President Trump for the family separation controversy at the southern border:

It is beyond words to think this is happening in America. Sorry, @realDonaldTrump this is far from America being great! Please everyone stay focused on reuniting these families, don’t get distracted with stories like @PressSec @MSNBC @ABC @CBSNews @Yahoo @BBCBreaking #Disgusting https://t.co/8Bk3pGrmtP

— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) June 24, 2018

Contrary to Russell’s implication that the border controversy over separated families began with President Trump, the current crisis can be traced back to the Clinton Administration. In Flores vs. Reno, the Supreme Court made a provision for accompanied minors to be held “in the least restrictive setting appropriate to the minor’s age and special needs.”

Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn