The NBA gave Oscar Robertson a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bill Russell gave Charles Barkley something else.
Barkley and fellow Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the presenters when Robertson received his honor. After Barkley mentioned Russell, Boston's Hall of Fame center flipped his middle finger in Barkley's direction.
Robertson is the career leader in triple-doubles and was the first player to average one for a season. His antitrust case against the NBA also ushered in free agency for players. Robertson says that was his most important assist.
Russell received the inaugural award last year.
Oscar Robertson commends the activism of today's NBA players, although he wonders why more white athletes aren't speaking out.
"Where are the white athletes when this is happening?" he said backstage at the NBA Awards. "It's not just black athletes when you see injustice in the world."
Robertson went on to say he hopes "the whites and the blacks can get together, even with the football," a reference to NFL players who have taken a knee or sat in silence during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality.