Bill Russell's daughter makes bold prediction for NBA Finals MVP

Two weeks into the 2025 NBA playoffs, Bill Russell's daughter Karen Russell is already making predictions about this year's Finals. The Boston Celtics are 3-1 up against the Orlando Magic in their first-round playoff series, but Russell is looking so far ahead that already made her pick for Finals MVP.

It goes without saying that she's supporting the Celtics to retain their NBA championship, but this time, Jaylen Brown wouldn't be the Finals MVP. Not even Jayson Tatum would earn that coveted honor.

Russell took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her prediction, going with Al Horford as her pick for the award.

"Al Horford is MY Russell MVP! #JustSaying," she tweeted.

Horford has been a key figure for the Celtics, helping them compete at the highest level for several seasons and play in two NBA Finals with a 1-1 record. His numbers aren't the most spectacular, but Horford contributes to the team in different ways. He's posting 6.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 blocks per game four games into the postseason.

After a 61-21 regular season (second-best record in the conference), the Celtics are still considered the team to beat in the East. They are one win away from eliminating Paolo Banchero and the Magic and taking one step closer to the back-to-back championships.

Bill Russell's daughter expressed surprise after the Celtics lost Game 3

Before the Boston Celtics bounced back in Game 4 of their Orlando Magic series, the defending champions looked poised to sweep the Magic to advance to the second round. However, the Magic surprised them in their first home game, taking a close 95-93 win.

Bill Russell's daughter Karen Russell was hoping to see the C's sweep the series and took to X to express her surprise.

"It literally never occurred to me that the Celtics would not sweep. I guess I lack imagination," Karen tweeted.

After the 107-98 win in Game 4, Boston is one step closer to the next round. Bill Russell saw the Celtics lose to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Finals before he sadly died.

The C's now have big chances to go back-to-back, which was common when the legendary center was a member of the squad.

It remains to be seen if they can go all the way to the title and if Horford earns MVP honors, but Karen Russell is confident.

​