Celtics great Bill Russell among latest sports figures to get COVID-19 vaccine

MANILA, Philippines — "This is one shot I won't block."

Such was the declaration from Boston Celtics great Bill Russell on taking the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination on Thursday (Friday, Manila time).

Russell, 87, didn't waste time in using his platform to urge people to also get vaccinated.

The 11-time NBA champion took to Twitter to give a public service announcement, saying that he had "No side effects to report."

Just got my #COVIDVaccination “This is one shot I won’t block” I know it is difficult to get an appointment! My wife put in the time for weeks and finally got us in. No side effects to report. @NBA @BostonGlobe @celtics #COVID?19 #CovidVaccine @espn #NBA @BleacherReport https://t.co/yX7rWeYiPd

— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) February 4, 2021

"Just got my #COVIDVaccination... I know it is difficult to get an appointment! My wife put in the time for weeks and finally got us in," Russell tweeted.

He joins fellow legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in the list of prominent NBA figures getting the stab.

Russell is a five-time NBA MVP and a 12-time All-Star. The NBA Finals MVP award is named after the 87-year-old.