Mike Woodson Says NBA Should Retire No. 6, 'Bill Russell Was The S***'

Ex-NBA player Mike Woodson agrees with Magic Johnson -- every team in the league should "absolutely" retire #6 in honor of Bill Russell ... telling TMZ Sports the Boston Celtics legend "was the s**t."

We spoke with Woodson -- the current head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers -- out at LAX this week ... and asked about Magic's call for the NBA to honor the Hall of Fame center in a unique way.

"Absolutely. Absolutely," Woodson said. "That man set the stage for a lot of the players today. For me, a lot of the players before me. Bill Russell was the s***. I don't care how you cut it."

"At the end of the day, you look what he’s done in his career, and ... it's unbelievable," he added. "That’s all you can say. So, Magic’s not far off. What he's pushing for, the league should want to do that for him."

"The players should want to do it because again, he set the stage."

Woodson knows not everyone will be on board with the idea ... especially since the #6 is still worn by active players like LeBron James, who switched back to his Miami Heat digit last season.

But, Mike recognizes the impact Russell had on the NBA and the Celtics -- with whom he won 11 championships -- including 8 straight in the '60s.

"Well, listen ... at the end of the day, the Celtics have been a dominant organization for many, many years, and Bill Russell put ‘em on top," Woodson said. "I think what he’s done for the NBA stands alone."

Ultimately, Woodson thinks Magic was right to suggest #6 be retired ... and he believes the game's biggest superstars will support the idea out of respect for Russell.

"I think the league will do that. These players respect him enough. LeBron, [Kevin] Durant, [Steph] Curry, they respect what he did for our league."