Shaquille O'Neal and Bill Russell
Throwback video of the time When Shaquille O’Neal promised to buy all 11 of Bill Russell’s championship rings in an auction
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal often has the nag of buying some of the most insane things with the amount of money that he is earning.
Last year it was revealed that Celtics legend Bill Russell will be auctioning off some of his playing career memorabilia. Proceeds from that auction will go towards Mentor and Boston Celtics United For Social Justice.
The news made its way on Inside the NBA when Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal revealed that he would love to buy all 11 of Russel’s championship rings.
This is what he said,
“I’d like to take some of that stuff off their hands,” said Shaq. “To be able to have all 11 of those rings, nobody’s outbidding me on that one.”
You can watch the segment below:
Legendary NBA star Bill Russell died on July 29, 2022. Russell won 11 championships with the Boston Celtics, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966. He was also a five-time NBA MVP and a 12-time All-Star. He also led Boston to two titles becoming the first black head coach to win an NBA championship.
After the news of Russel’s passing fans wonder if Shaq ever kept his promise to buy Bill’s championship rings.
One fan asked on Twitter,
I hope @SHAQ managed to buy all the Bill Russell rings. They belong in the @Hoophall
However unfortunately for Shaq, only two of Russell’s championship rings were up for auction, his first and his last.
the owner of the auction house, Dave Hunt, of Hunt Auctions, never revealed whether O’Neal won the items, for the sake of privacy.
According to NBA.com, the auction featured 429 lots accumulated by Russell, with the top 18 items alone bringing in more than $5.3 million.
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