Top 10 Boston Sports Stars: Bill Russell vs. Tom Brady?

The passing of the Boston Celtics' legend over the weekend rekindled the debate about Boston's greatest all-time athlete.

Who knows, some day maybe Mac Jones will earn his keep and etch his face on Boston's Mount Sportsmore. First, of course, he'll need to help the New England Patriots win a playoff game, and then we'll see about the future.

Until then, the debate about the greatest all-time sports superstar will continue without Jones and instead focus on two larger-than-life athletes:

Tom Brady vs. Bill Russell.

With the passing of the Boston Celtics' iconic center over the weekend, his almost flawless legacy was again put under the microscope and to the test. As he plays out the final days of his career in Tampa, Brady's Boston contributions are likely complete.

As we rank New England's Top 10 all-time athletes, it really comes down to a one-on-one matchup. Who ya got?

10. Ray Bourque 

The Bruins selected the defenseman with the eighth pick in the 1979 NHL draft, and he made his presence felt immediately, finishing with 65 points and winning the Calder Trophy as the top rookie. He won the Norris Trophy (top defensive player) five times. While he was beloved in Boston, his legacy was dented when he requested a trade so he could have a shot at the Stanley Cup and was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche in 2000 and won a championship in 2001.

9. John Havlicek

A three-sport star growing up in Ohio, Havlicek could have played for the Cleveland Browns, who drafted him in the seventh round in 1962. But the Celtics selected "Hondo" in the first round, and he became a Boston legend. Havlicek collected eight championship rings over 16 seasons (1962-78) and is the team's leading scorer (26,395) as well as a 13-time All-Star.

8. Pedro Martinez

Though only 5-11 and 170 pounds, Pedro was a heavyweight on the mound. In seven dominant seasons with the Red Sox from 1998-2004, he compiled a 117-37 record and 2.52 ERA during a time when offense dominated baseball. Martinez won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 1999 and 2000 and was a key member of the 2004 team that finally ended the Curse of the Bambino by winning Boston’s first World Series title in 86 years.

7. Bob Cousy

One of the best point guards of his era (1950-63), Cousy was known for his ball-handling and unorthodox passes. In eight of his first 10 years in the NBA, he led the NBA in assists per game and he helped carry the Celtics to six championships.

6. Carl Yastrzemski

Yastrzemski spent his entire 23-year career with the Red Sox, and in 1967 he might have had the best single year in Boston history. He won the Triple Crown and the American League MVP award and led Boston to the World Series. Yaz was an 18-time All-Star and first-ballot Hall of Famer.

5. Larry Bird

The "Hick from French Lick" was a college star for Indiana State before becoming an NBA legend with the Celtics. Bird led the Sycamores to the 1979 NCAA championship game, where they fell to Earvin Johnson and Michigan State. Bird quickly adjusted to Boston's big stage. During his first season with the Celtics (1979-80), he led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals, beating the Los Angeles Lakers' Johnson for Rookie of the Year. Bird picked up three titles with the Celtics and was a three-time NBA MVP before his retirement in 1992.

4. Bobby Orr

The Norris Trophy is given annually to the best all-around defenseman in the NHL and Orr won it eight consecutive years (1967-75) with the Bruins. A nine-time All-Star and two-time Stanley Cup champion, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at 31 after it waived its usual three-year waiting period.

3. Ted Williams

Nobody in the history of baseball has a better career on-base percentage than Williams' .482. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, a 19-time All-Star and he appeared to show no signs of aging as his career went on. At age 38 in 1957, Williams still managed to lead the league with a .388 batting average, .526 on-base percentage and .731 slugging percentage with the Red Sox.

2. Tom Brady

The Patriots used the 199th overall draft pick on Brady and watched him flourish into the NFL's winningest quarterback. With the Patriots he won six Super Bowls, four Super Bowl MVPs and was named to 14 Pro Bowls. His only blemish: Leaving New England for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and having the audacity to lead a team other than the Patriots to another Super Bowl.

1. Bill Russell

He was an unprecedented champion on the court, an undaunted civil rights activist off the court, and he never bounced a basketball for any pro team other than the Celtics. Russell won 11 NBA titles in Boston, with including two as a coach. Including in his accolades: Five MVP awards, 12 All-Star appearances and more than 21,000 rebounds. A first-ballot Hall of Famer, no player is more accomplished in the history of Boston sports.