Stephen's A-List: Top 5️⃣ Boston athletes of all-time | First Take 

Bill Russell brought 11 championships to a city he was disrespected in because of the color of his skin. Yes we're talking about the sport, but the mental fortitude it takes to be a second class citizen and still bring excellence says way more about the athlete

Whenever Stephen A does the hockey, it's always a fun time

Best list I've seen Steven A ever put up. I agree with Perk, too.

Love it when they bring up bird.

I'd put Brady at #1. It's a close call, but as KP once said, Russel played against guys like Skip Bayless and Max Kellerman.

Stephen A leaves some ppl off the list bc he “didn’t see them play”… but then goes on to put Bill Russell #1. Gotta love it 😂

Good list Stephen A. Thanks from a Boston fan.

Bill Russell 11 championships in 13 years and by the way was the player coach 3 of those years.

Perk must not know Bill Russel’s story. Would’ve like to seen him educated. Man went through more than most in a historically racist city and still brought them 11 chips. That’s too many for the mans own hands. 🤷🏼‍♂️🐐

Stephen A head turn at 6:25 was priceless 🤣

Ranking Stephen A’s top 5 in categories Pure Skill 1. Bird (No Debate) 2. Bill Russell 3. Bobby Orr 4. Tom Brady 5. David Ortiz Stats 1. Bobby Orr (Some Key Stats Unrecorded) 2. Tom Brady 3. Bill Russell (Some Key Stats Unrecorded) 4. Larry Bird 5. David Ortiz Impact 1. Bird (Saved NBA & Made It Global) 2. Russell (Broke Barriers & Defined NBA) 3. Orr (Revolutionized Defense & Strategy) 4. Brady (Influenced Great QBs & NFL Lore) 5. Ortiz (Face of Boston for an era) Accomplishments 1. Russell (11 Rings, 5 MVPs, 3 1st Team, 1 All D) 2. Brady (7 Rings, 3 MVPs, 3 1st Team) 3. Orr (2 Rings, 3 MVPs, 8 1st Team, 8 Top Defenseman) 4. Bird (3 Rings, 3 MVPs, 9 1st Team, 3 All D) 5. Ortiz (3 Rings, 7 All Offense (🥈Slugger)

I'm not mad at all for seeing Bill Russell at #1 ....nicely done

Bradys greatest attribute was winning, and Russell inarguably did it better in Boston

I still put Bird as #2 even though didn’t win as many titles as Tom and Bill. Bird turned that Franchise around single handedly

No Bill Russell Slander is allowed!

Teddy Ballgame HAS to be on the list. The purest hitter to have ever played.

Great list

1.Kyrie Irving 2. Antonio Brown 3. Aaron Hernandez 4. Pablo Sandoval 5. Carl Crawford

How does Ted Williams not make it into the Top 5?

Ortiz above Orr? The disrespect. Those two aren't in the same class. Bobby the GOAT on defense. David Ortiz isn't even a top 20 MLB player

Ortiz over Ted Williams to represent baseball………nah I can’t get on board with that. Triple crown winner twice, last man to bat 400 plus 500 home runs and that isn’t even thinking about the fact that he missed prime years to serve in the military. It isn’t even close. Other than that I agree with who is on the list. I’d have Brady at 1 though

Basketball players get the edge in my opinion for contributing more to wins based it being a 2 way sport where they play most of or all of the game and have no restrictions on how they can help a team.

First list I've 100% agreed with in a long time

Number 1 is Tacko Fall no question

Pedro Martínez in the late 90’s and early 2000’s was winning cy youngs awards, striking every one out in time when a lot baseball players were juicing and taking PEDS!!!!

No love for Rocky Marciano? Undefeated, one of the greatest heavyweights to ever live

Love it Brady, Bird and Russell yes thank Stephen A for putting them on your list

Bill Russell obliterated those records and expectations. 11 championships will never be matched.

The part where perk has SAS say “the hick from French lick “ twice is hilarious to me. Hick in some parts is a term from white men. Some use it bad some use it good. But we know the walburgs have racist issues in the past. (I’m a black man born and raised in Massachusetts) watch Donnie’s face when perk says it 😂😂😂

Williams should've definitely been on that list. Add Pierce and Yaz as honorable mentions.

good list very good list

No way Bill can be #2 tho but the way Tom brought not only Boston but the whole new england together from maine all the way down to my home state rhode island nobody can ever do that Tom #1

Manny Ramirez was also very popular and a very good Red Sox player back then.

David Ortiz over Bobby Orr and Ted Williams lmao Stephen A is hysterical

Stephen A putting Bobby up there was to good

Great answer

Tom Brady, Bill Russel, Larry Bird, Ted Williams, Bobby Orr (Honorable mentions: David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Paul Pierce, Rob Gronkowski, Rocky Marciano)

As a proud Boston sport fan, we are down bad. I guess from 2 decades of just flat out winning its just not our turn anymore

Brady, Russell, Ted Williams, Bird gotta be top 4

The Real list: 5. Cam Newton 4. Joe kelly 3. Brian Scalabrine 2. Shawn thornton 1. GRANT WILLIAMS

Bill Russell better be #1, that's all I know.

DONNIE walberg " aka" Danny Reagan/ blue BLOODS my favorite character on there & my favorite show for a long time!

5:40 literally describes Arizona sports

This list to not have arguably one of the greatest hitters not just in Boston but in mlb history cause you didn't see him play is ridiculous.

😂😂 Stephen A face when Perk comes in tryna be slick pickin the football guy over basketball 6:26

Ted Williams should be on the list instead of Ortiz

I just thought what about Rocky Mahhhciano 😂😂

Tom Brady was going against the best athletes in the NFL. Bill Russell was going against math teachers and janitors

Tom Brady has more Super Bowl rings that all of the NFL teams. Bill Russell has more championships than all of the NBA teams except the Lakers.

they got the dude from blue bloods in the background 😂

The story matters, most probably. That's what people follow, good stories, especially, good success stories.

I'm glad Donny said Jim Brown's the greatest other then me. That man was crazy dominant! BTW, don't listen to Perk. Bill Russell is #1. That guy won 11 rings, racism and all, and was a player/coach that won a title.

This is a tough one. There are a lot of great athletes in the history of Boston. I think Stephen A. Smith's list is mostly good. But I'm bumping Orr up a spot, because he changed the game of hockey and won two championships in only 10 years for the Bruins after they failed to win one in the previous 40. I will switch out Williams for Ortiz, because while Ortiz won championships, no athlete meant more to the Red Sox cross generationally than Ted Williams. Nor was there a greater hitter in league history other than maybe Ruth and Aaron. 1) Bill Russell 2) Tom Brady 3) Larry Bird 4) Bobby Orr 5) Ted Williams (I will include athletes from before I was born) Honourable mentions: Ray Bourque, Phil Esposito, David Ortiz, Tim Thomas, Paul Pierce, Kevin McHale, Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez, John Havelick, Bob Cousy, Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Wes Welker

I like and respect that list

Spraying the desk with spit using words that start with the letter F

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Larry Joe Bird William Felton Russell Robert Gordon Orr Theodore Samuel Williams

The best list ever

Ted Williams flew combat missions in the Marine Corps! --BLT 2/8, 32nd MAU

The list is fluid 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yes Williams should be there

1. Kyrie 2. Kyrie 3. Larry 4. Schroder 5. Kyrie

Bobby Orr behind Ortiz and Bird is a joke

I guess SAS doesn't know about the Big Poppy situation in PR and why it got awkwardly quiet when he mentioned it

Espn won’t be getting no interviews from Tom Brady after the Adam schefter thing

People don't realize how bad Bird really was. He invented Make it Rain.

I see Bill Russel on top of the list and I'm like you just saved it mr Smith

Tom Brady went from being Drew Bledsoe's waterboy to the GREATEST QUARTERBACK IN NFL HISTORY!

My Top 5 Before Watching the video. I'm doing only NBA and NFL because I don't watch any other sport. 1. Tom Brady 2. Bill Russell 3. Larry Bird 4. John Havilcek 5. Bob Cousy

So glad bobby orr is on this, the prototype for modern defensemen

Boston baby !!!!!!

The whole week will be how to put TB12 on any list

Donnie makes a good point. The thinking in Boston for decades was losing. Then Brady won a SB 20 years ago and it changed everything for them. Two years later, the Red Sox won after being down 0-3. Then the Celtics won 4 years later.

Top 5 Boston athletes 1) Tom Brady 2) Bill Russell 3) Larry Bird 4) Ted Williams 5) Pedro Martinez

David Ortiz but not Ted Williams? Seriously? Why is this man on Television?

I would replace Ortiz with Pedro but that’s just me

Top Five Bands from Boston: 1. Boston 2. Aerosmith 3. Cars 4. Pixies 5. Marky Mark....just kidding....New Edition

“I Take down big boys all the time”- SAS bruh pause 😭😭

I agree with number one.

Crazy how I really went… “He looks a lot like Mark Wahlberg”… then proceeded to read the video description 💀

Russell gave Boston 11 rings, but Ted Williams gets a tunnel. However… had he never lost those years in the Navy, he would’ve own EVERY batting record imaginable.

Hey it’s Danny Reagan!!!

Brady is #1 no question. The level of competition Brady played against in his sport was far superior than what Russell played against. He only won 11 rings because the Celtics dominated and had all the good players in an 14 team league his last year and 8-9 teams in the league before that.

Ted Williams, Brady, Ortiz, Bird, Orr

Paul pierce puching the air rn 😭😭😭

PERK SPOKE FACTS.

PERK IS DREAMING,,,

Donnie lip smacking with those new veneers 1😁😂

Before I see the list, as a Boston guy I’m putting Brady, Bird, Orr, Russell, Ortiz/Ruth

What about hagler?!!, The marvelous one !

He could of said Larry Legend lmaoo

Flutie magic #22

Park is right. Story does matter, but Bill Russell‘s story is fantastic. You can’t tell me that’s what would give Brady the edge

How is Larry Bird not the unquestionable #1 Boston sport star? The Patriots don't even play in Boston, not to mention Kraft tried to move the team to Connecticut.

The Boston Mt. Rushmore should be Ted Williams, Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, Big Papi......Bill Russell and Tom Brady are the Lincoln and Washington Momorials, get get their own monuments

Wait I wanna see Stephen A’s top 10 now cuz ain’t no way that man got bill Russel over Larry bird that would mean he is at least top 5 all time in Stephen A’s all time list

Donnie and Mark would have been killer

No other city’s top 5 athletes come close to Boston’s

Stephen A , you finally got something right.

The number one athlete in Boston history is one primarily associated with NY. George Herman Ruth.

Russells 11 was super impressive but how many teams were in the league at the time?