Move over, Will Smith and Chris Rock -- Bob Cousy and JJ Redick are now the biggest beef of 2022 ... 'cause the Celtic legend is defending his entire era, saying, "we must have had the best firemen and plumbers on the planet."
Remember, the ex-NBAer ripped into Chris Russo on ESPN's "First Take" last month ... after "Mad Dog" brought Cousy into the discussion when debating Chris Paul's legacy.
Redick said 93-year-old Cousy was great for his time, but claimed the 1957 MVP "was being guarded by plumbers and firemen."
Cousy -- a 13-time All-Star from 1951-63 -- got wind of Redick's comments ... and said he wasn't going to give the ex-Duke legend the reaction he wanted ... claiming the guy just wanted attention.
“I guess [Wilt Chamberlain] must have fought fires as well”
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 19, 2022
NBA legend Bob Cousy reacts to J.J. Redick’s comments about Cousy playing against “plumbers and firemen” with @termineradio and @jumpshot8 pic.twitter.com/D4x9TVmvlD
"People with less talent will always try to make a name for themselves by criticizing other people and hopefully getting some attention and perhaps increasing their credibility," the 6-time champ said.
"So, when you respond to something like this, you play into their hands," he added. "I won’t do that, but I will defend the firemen and the plumbers that he referenced."
Those firemen and plumbers?? Cousy names them off, and they're some of the all-time greats.
Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West?? Yeah, pretty damn good!!
Bob Cousy was Cooking 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/VHexaMaTNL
— 🧣 (@Precision80) May 20, 2022
Cousy plays into Redick's comments ... saying, "We must have had the best firemen and plumbers on the planet at the time. And, I was very proud to play with all of them."
We're hoping Redick responds ... 'cause this is the rivalry we didn't know we needed.