@Ricardo Sanders the only reason lebron has better stats is cause A hes been in the league 4 more years B lebron gets more shots and with the no- touch rule nowadays even looking at him gets you a foul called not to mention lebron cant shoot worth a dam from anywhere outside 5 ft from the hoop consistently hell his shoot pg% from outside said ft is a mere 33-35% so in parting when lebron finally gets into the 50/40/90 then we can talk bout him being better then larry but i dont see that happening anytime soon
Larry had tougher competition in his prime He beats Jordan in the NBA playoffs He beats Isiah Thomas in the NBA playoffs He beats Julius Erving and the Seventy Sixers in the Conference Finals He beats Kareem Magic Worthy and the LA LAKERS in the NBA Finals
I like your argument but before I reply I want to make it clear that I not a LeBron fan That being said We have to put in the context that LeBron also had phenomenal competition in his prime He beat Tim Duncan, kawhi leonard, Tony Parker and manu Ginobili in 2013 finals He beat Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook in 2012 He beat 73-9 warriors with the greatest shooter in history and unanimous MVP Steph curry in 2016 All of them were either in their primes or very elite teams with previous finals experience When Larry beat Jordan.......Scottie Pippen had not developed into a star yet......it was like Celtics vs Jordan And Larry beat a young Detroit Pistons team not a prime(1989-1991) Pistons team. That's why it is hard to say who had to face tougher competition. I would say that Larry had a tougher eastern conference while LeBron had a tougher finals competition. This doesn't mean either player is greater than each other. What I mean is that, competition is a very vague point to be considered in determining who is better since they both had their respective share of tough competition.
@Tammy T So according to you..... The Dallas Mavericks who beat okc, swept kobe and beat the big three heat would be crushed? The 2014 spurs which are the best passing team in the history of nba would be crushed? Or the warriors teams which are the best shooting team in history would be crushed?? Your bias against LeBron is blinding your ability to actually appreciate the teams which beat him. Don't let nostalgia guide your judgement. To say that spurs or warriors would be crushed is ignorant. If you say bird faced magic who is the greatest point guard of all time and kareem who is arguably the greatest center of all time then LeBron also faced Tim Duncan who is the greatest power forward of all time and Dirk who is top 5 power forward of all time and Kevin Durant who is a top 3 scorer of all time and Steph curry who is the greatest shooter of all time. Don't just say LeBron had weak competition. Explain which team that he lost to was weak and why they will be crushed in the 80s. I hope you understand what you just said. You are implying that tim Duncan would get crushed in the 80s. You are implying that kawhi Leonard would be crushed in the 80s. You are implying that Dirk would be crushed in the 80s. You are implying that Kevin Durant and Steph curry would be crushed in the 80s. Which is ignorant. They all are all time talents. Which means you can put them in any era and they would great. How can you just assume that they will be crushed?😂😂
Dude. This isn't even a question. All you youngsters who didn't get to watch real basketball in the '80s just don't get it. There isn't a team in the NBA today with a prayer of going seven games with the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, or Bulls of the mid-'80s to early '90s. If the Cavs or Warriors of today played a seven-game series with the Bad Boys, half the team would be on IR by the fifth game. Lebron couldn't lace Bird's or Magic's Cons.
I watched Bird in the 80’s. His teams were stacked. Deep starting lineup- deep bench. The burden to dominate on both sides of the floor simply wasn’t there for Larry. They won every home game, average on the road. Lebron is massively better as a whole.
Pat Riley said it the best: "If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan; If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life...I'd take Larry Bird."
Larry Bird from 1984 to 1988 was the best basketball player I have ever seen. In his peak, he was better than Jordan in his peak, or LeBron in his. A better all-around shooter, passer, rebounder, team player, and clutch performer. Now if you want to talk about career value, that's a different conversation. But if you want to talk about who was simply the best, then it's Bird all the way.
Jordan’s offensive skill set, defense & postseason numbers put him above Bird for me. Bird doesnt touch Jordan in his peak or really at any time in his career when it comes to the post season.
@@geraldgreen919 Jordan definitely could explode to the basket better than Bird but don't underestimate Bird's offensive skills. He scored a lot of points and shot the ball significantly less than Mike. Had he shot the ball as much as Mine he'd probably average what Mine did or more. Larry just did whatever it took on any given night but definitely could score.the man played a whole game shooting with his left hand lol.
Erfbgu 2 Definitely. I have Larry Bird at #2 for that reason. I think he could have matched Jordan’s scoring with slightly less efficiency if he dominated the ball the way Jordan did. Larry didn’t have the ball in his hands as much as Jordan but could take over when it was needed.
Bird by far. The only player to average at least 20 points/10 rebounds/5 assists in nba history. He did that in a much tougher era. He's only player to win 3 consecutive MVP's besides Chamberlain and B. Russell. He was the first player to accomplish the 50-40-90 club. Look it up because Lebron will probably never do that. People saying Bird wasn't a good defender either didn't see him play or just trying to use ESPN's campaigning of James to build him up. And by the way if Lebron is such a superior defender, Bird did slight him in steal averages (coming into this year). Their block averages are identical. For some reason ESPN has been promoting James the last three plus seasons. There is almost a fluff piece by Brian Windhorst every other day. It's sickening really. And if you've never seen Bird play (or any player from the past) it is more difficult to listen to those arguments saying James is better than him or players from the past.
@@simple45679 Well, Lebron was seen as the undisputed, best player in the game from 2008-2015. Those 3 other guys won those MVPS because of their team record along with comparable stats accumulated with James' stats during his peak years, Larry however, had the luxury of being the best player with the best team in the game, especially in '86. That was only for a 3 year period, hence why Bird won those 3 consecutive. Jordan was viewed as the best in the game since '88, however, the Lakers won more games and was better as a collective team. Henceforth, Magic was the MVP, not because he was better......but it's neither here or there. 🤷♂️
@@akeemwilliams2203 Inaccurate, he wasn't undisputed best in 08-10 because even while he was winning MVPs, his post season success is inconsistent. Many can easily argue that Kobe was better then because not only did he perform in the regular season, but also the post season. Lebron was undisputed from 2011-2015, let's not stretch the meaning of undisputed. And don't even try to discredit Magic and Bird's MVPs because of their "team success". From 2011-2016, Lebron handpicked his super teams and was easily the best in the league talent wise, why didn't he win MVPs then? Yeah.
@@simple45679 Like I said my man, the 3 guys I'm referring to was Rose, Durant, and Curry. Those guys had better squads than James record wise, and personnel wise during their MVP seasons respectively. However, 2011 was that one year out of the 3 that James could've and should've won it. But bc of the how James was viewed as the villain, along with assembling the personnel out of the gate, and developing the cohesion right off the bat, their record was less than anticipated. Henceforth, James was not the benefactor of the 2011 MVP
Inconspicuous Man No o.k what the he'll you talking about.? In terms of rings .no he Larry cannot. THATS WHAT THAT TABLES FOR..If not you gonna have all kinds of people sitting at mikes,Kareem,Russel table
Last thing about Larry Bird. I live in Indianapolis. When I was young and had hair, I had a barber who actually played against Larry Bird in the playgrounds back in the mid 70s. My barber said that he played against those hotel workers when Larry Bird was like thirteen and fourteen. When he was older and in high school, Larry and his older brother would drive to Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago, Gary, and Detroit to play streetball. THAT is where Larry got his toughness and crafted his trash talk. If you go to Gary, Indiana or Chicago and play “prison-ball” with those guys, going to play against Dr.J at the Spectrum in the early 80s is a walk in the park. But basically Larry Bird was a well known playground legend in the Midwest before the rest of the world got to know him in 79. You go to every barbershop in any hood in Indianapolis and you might see a (signed) picture of Larry Bird. You would also see signed pictures of Bobby Knight in every barber shop in the day as well because Bobby Knight was in every hood in the Midwest back then. He was fearless in the hood as well. In any case, Bird was a country bumpkin, but he was hood to the core. And yes, he did call dudes from Detroit or Louisville in the mid 70s “nigga” and got away with it because Bird was a hood dude and those dudes called him “nigga”. Older guys in NYC said Chris Mullin could go to the Bronx or Harlem and call dudes “nigga” too. Not every white player could do that in those neighborhoods, but those two had the street cred to get away with that.
Very interesting stuff man wow.. I definitely agree larry was a real one and you can tell he played some street ball in the playgrounds which is a totally a different environment i laugh when he threw that basketball at bill laimbeer. If you really think about larry bird he beat all the great teams in his day and all the real niggas too but people don't look at that. Larry was not the fastest or the most athletic he was simply a finesse and skilled player that is unmatched larry has beatin them all weather in reg season playoffs or finals he's beatin the best players in his era not too many can do that lol... I also think if Larry wouldn't of got hurt who knows how his career would've ended because if Larry would've enhanced his athletic abilities he would be far more better than he was back than i think if Larry played in this era he would be more better than he was back in his day because of the training nba players have aww man he would be a force to be reckon with... I also like u mention chris Mullin which is also my favorite player very skilled player and finesse and bobby knight crazy ass 😃 man he was something 👍
I also read when Pete Maravich was at LSU, he would go to black neighborhoods to play against "better" competition to improve his game as well. Kiki Vandeweghe did the that at UCLA when he was in H.S, too. Played against Sidney Wicks and others.
After watching a ton of 80's basketball, yes. I finally have to agree. The 90's were soft, and the 2000s were really pathetic (no one could shoot anything from anywhere), and then the 2010s were soft but at last there were shooters again. Even if they are mostly uncontested because defenses really don't have the option of really defending against a litany of palming and travel violations.
Colonel Gibbs bro you straight trippin. These players now and even 10 years ago Literally don’t know wtf defense is... Larry would straight dog EVERYONE in a one on one situation. He would absolutely destroy the NBA right now. Shannon sharpe played football.. 8 outta 10 times his opinion is straight up outlandish. Shannon also tends to go with an athletic player over a more skilled and coordinated player. Stick to football shannon
All im going too say, once they ruled no contact the league changed, bird got into physicall fist fits alot on top of abusing his body for the game saving balls outta bound. Both are great but the harder effort goes too larry.
Bird was only really healthy from 80-86 and those years he was undisputedly the best player in the NBA. But he hurt his back in the 87-88 season and was never the same player after that.
@@davidplummer2473 So was Lebron until last season... and he still had to guard Curry and other guard because of today's switch heavy game. Offenses will set picks till Larry's switched onto someone like curry ,Kd or kyrie.
Let me explain something to all of you! When Jordan use to come into Boston and put up 60 points on the Celtics, do you know what Bird was doing? You got it! Something like 35/12/11 with a higher shooting percentage, a higher free throw percentage, and he would pass the ball over and over again to his teammates, where Jordan was ball hogging his entire career! Believe me, Bird's passing skills were just 1 notch below Magic, the best of all time!
@@jonrudd4733 basketball is a team game ... Bird understood that .. you don't ... jordan did not ... Lebron even less ... what other superstar ya got ... James Harden scores points ... his skill set compared to Bird? LOL
@@islandbuoy4 yes I understand that BBall is a team sport. Obviously, smartass, Jordon learned that, or he wouldn't have won 6 World Championships. But again, obviously you have a reading comprehension problem. I stated that he almost won the game single handedly.
@@jonrudd4733 LOL just checking .... how is your pulse on the situation? ... I get the same reaction from 'we the tRUMP sheeple' when I poke fun at the icon 'jesus loves ewe' ... this is just a test of your emergency broadcast system ... a voice taps ewe on the shoulder and presents another POV .... as rome burns the wankers discuss BB like it really matters .. ewe win
Physically Lebron dominates Bird in every way, but when it comes to pure basketball skill I take Bird every time. You put Lebron's mind in Bird's body and Lebron may not even make the Hall of Fame. You put Bird's mind in Lebron's body and Bird would have been the undisputed GOAT dwarfing even Jordan.
are you serious? Bron can't even use physicality against steph Curry with the game on the line in game 1 of the 2018 finals LOL,. you put steph on Larry Bird and he would nail a 3 pointer right in his face using his left hand with the game on the line LOL
HPM Boss I wouldn't say Lebron's skillset is wack, it's actually very good for such a big and heavy guy. It's just not on the same level as Larry Bird's was.
@@LLUVITT put LeBron's mind in my body and he is riding the pines, in fact take the average mind of the average player in the NBA and place it into the body of anybody under 5'10" and 99% of the overpriced athletes in the NBA never make the big leagues ... they would be sitting here typing bullshit comments like this one ...
I got Lebron James about 8th on my top 10 list. Don't see him moving from there. My opinion. Larry Bird was really good. I watched him school Rodman and Pippen like children in the playoffs. Nowadays generation of basketball watchers don't know and can't appreciate how great he was.
Yeah I agree, they never respect the greatness of this man Larry Bird. That guy had a skill set almost unrivaled. If he had just HALF of the athleticism of Jordan or Lebron, he probably would be considered the absolute greatest ever.
Luis Torres if he had those guys athleticism he would have been a sight to see. And Bird beat every HOF in his era in the playoffs. Dr. J, Moses, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Sampson, Hakeem, Isaiah, Dumars, Rodman etc all tasted defeat from Bird. Jordan got swept twice (bulls were not in their prime though). No one else in that era could boast that.
“For the kids out there”..... I’m so glad she said that because most people that claim Lebron was/is better than Bird weren’t even born when Bird was literally dominating the NBA.
As Lebron purposely feeds his stats every single night, even staying into games that are blowouts deep into the 4th quarter and why? To feed his stats, where Bird did the EXACT OPPOSITE...... Bird would bypass easy shots ALL THE TIME to make a pass to a teammate and spread the ball and the points around! I tell you, watch video of Bird and watch how often Bird would bypass easy shots to pass the ball to other teammates so they could make easy baskets!
I have Bird ranked #2 all time, I have Lebron ranked #7 all time. Both of them are incredible, but Bird made his entire team better, Bird made his coaches look like geniuses, Bird made the cheerleaders look better, Bird made the ball boys better, Bird made the water boys server better water! Lebron does not do this! Lebron really does not make anyone on his team better, in fact, Lebron actually hurts his teammates by forcing them to play Lebron ball which Kyrie did NOT want to play anymore. The mental toughness of Bird surpasses Magic and can be equaled only by Jordan! When Bird was playing in his prime, before his injuries, people were calling Bird the greatest player of all time! Bird was playing in a time of no social media, no Internet, no International sports news agencies and this is huge, this is a big big deal and why people do not know how great Jerry West was, or Oscar Robertson, Or Bird etc etc!
Tearstojoyministries.org agreed. I have Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Kareem on my personal Mt Rushmore. People sleep on Bird for two reasons. He’s white and most sports fans weren’t even born when Bird played so they rely on these “talking heads” on these (sensationalized) sports networks for their opinions.
Great point, I told brothers Jerry West was Stephen Curry before Stephen Curry. Fans don't know how good Bird was, but I would put him 2 slots under LeBron James. 1.Kareem 2.Jordan 3.Russell 4.Magic 5.LeBron 6.Wilt 7.Bird 8.Shaq 9.Olajuwon 10.Duncan.
ALL too true. West, Robertson and Baylor, too all get lost in time frame of the past. Even Russell and Wilt to a lesser degree. But all are top 10 all time greats.
I give any guy with less that can match or surpass the guy with more. Bird was nowhere near as athletically or physically gifted as LeBron but had more of an impact immediately in the NBA. Bird had the best offensive arsenal pre Jordan & Hakeem. Had it not been for his injuries he'd be Mt. Rushmore material.
Teddy Longfellow lol, larry bird toyesd with hakeem when hakeem was toying kareem in 86,. Bird roasted both hakeem and MJ's ass and was the only player in NBA to beat every Legend in his era,.
@@realitybites629 .... I don't think Bird was able to guard Jordan but if you want to say Bird and his HOF team torched Jordan and a lineup of nobodies, then I can agree with that. I guess people forget how Jordan torched them in the playoffs in 86 (even though they lost) after missing most of the season with a broken foot but hey, he was a bum because he couldn't take a group of bums deep into the playoffs in the toughest conference at that time. Their whole team couldn't stop Jordan, and they played zone to boot (for fanboys who claim Jordan would have trouble playing against the zone). And since you know so much, who were Jordan's teammates during that time period???
The way you settle this debate is simple: If you put LeBron with his own body, skill, and intelligence in the NBA from 1979-80 to 1985-86 on the Boston Celtics, with how the East was, there's no way LeBron would have won 3 titles with 3 straight MVP's the way the league and the East was in the 80's. Boston would have had a good team but they would have struggled to come out of the East in the 80's vs. Philly in 1984, 1985, and 1986 as well as Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Detroit - those teams in that era with that competition, LeBron could have not handled as a leader with all the pressure in Boston to come trough to win titles. The reason why I say this is because in LeBron's first years in Cleveland 2003-04 to 2009-10, he had troubles in the East vs. an underachieving Detroit team and a Boston team that was a one-hit wonder but he got swept in the 2007 Finals. Larry Bird with his own body, skill, and intelligence playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers based upon what he did, would no doubt have taken the Cavs to win 3 titles with 3 MVP awards, if not more from 2003-04 to 2009-10 with his passing, shooting, ball-handling, and how he used his teammates' skill or imperfections. The way Bird shot, passed, and set up his teammates along with his post moves and ability to get to the line and how he fouled people out... not to mention the rebounding..... Just look at the competition at the small forward position Bird faced versus the small forwards in the era of 2003-04 to 2009-10... come on? Bird was 100 times better. Now if you compare them man for man when it comes to basketball they are pretty even because what LeBron doesn't do well, Bird does well when it comes to shooting, foul shooting, clutch shooting, posting up, and just a killer instinct and leadership - Bird has LeBron beaten. They both pass well and see the court well; LeBron is more athletic and a better diverse defender but the game today is less physical and LeBron gets more of an advantage; the game Bird played was more physical and Bird had to earn more of his points even though he got a lot of calls. LeBron did more with less than Bird so that says a lot, but I still think Bird could have taken those guys LeBron had and made them champions in 2006, 2007, 2008 and especially in 2009 and 2010, just in how Bird took the game over and approached leading his teams to win. That 2008 second round exit vs. Boston was a joke by LeBron; Bird would not have allowed that to happen after being in the NBA Finals. Plus that 2009 ECF, Bird would have dominated that series and destroyed Kobe in the Finals; same in 2010. All you have to do is look at Bird from 1981 to 1986.
Chris Gowers That's not a fact LeBrons per game AVG is 27ppg birds at 24ppg and LeBron is 7 assist Larry 6 assist the only per game stat I see is rebounding Larry is a better rebounder that's about it.
@@yunggpacino LeBron is more ball dominant.. that's a knock on LeBron not a positive. It makes bird more dangerous. They are comparable with LeBron being in TWICE as long. Quality not quantity we're talking about here.
Larry top 5, LeBron top 10... idc what you say if your a LeBron fan that can't think objectively about basketball. Bird was a better shooter, rebounder, way better FT shooter, defense is a toss up but as time goes on I see LBJ take more and more plays off on defense which Bird would never do. Bird played in the toughest era in regards to defense and competition. Today's soft ass NBA which is designed for 3 point shooters... Bird would have better numbers than LBJ in every category except assists IMO.
Basketball is a physical game... Larry dominate basketball, because his physically dominant and they are afraid of his shooting, passing, assisting and rebounding ability. .. And Bird didn't need to change team to be an MVP and to win championship. . Bird never hesitate to shoot on clutch time , unlike LeBron who hesitate. ..
Wilt Chamberlain had the knowledge of keeping in shape back in the 70's. He was the strongest in the NBA even Arnold Schwarzenegger said he picked him up with 1 arm and could bench press over 500 lbs
Jordan was the lone superstar. Bird Meanwhile when they faced each other in the playoffs had 4 at most 5 other all stars.Jordan would not beat that by himself and plus there’s a maturation process. Jordan wasn’t better than Larry Bird coming into the league come on now. He had to grow into what he is. All players do
Bird could use both hands, and he was unrelenting on the court, there wasn't a shot he could not make, and like Steve Nash played smart always, Bird honed his craft in University while Lebron came right out of high school and the difference shows. Bird was a facilitator and a delegator who did not take any plays off.
The ball-hogging in today's game makes it hard to compare stats to earlier times in the NBA. James Harden and Russell Westbrook rack up a lot of assists because they hold the ball 90% of the time. LeBron does the same crap and nobody calls him out on that. Larry would rack up a ton of assists and points while barely touching the ball. That's amazing. Less selfish and more efficient.
So SICK of hearing "Lebron can guard 1 through 5". Except most of the time he DOESN'T guard anyone. How many times has Lebron shutdown the best player? How many times have bench players torched him in big moments? These fanboys should stop talking about "can" and focus on "does".
Or Dennis rodman play against LeBron James or a bunch of other good defenders you see you can't hand check no more and the referees call everything for these sissy players you can't do the things you used to do man real basketball now if you just bump the guy it's a foul and then LeBron James would say I'm the greatest of all time come on man this is the most weakest era in a long time we've ever seen I don't think we've ever seen a week here like this until these little youngsters come into the league he touched my finger he he he rubbed up against my jersey it's a foul come on man
My Mt Rushmore is Bird, Jordan, Magic, and Kareem. Lebron is in the second echelon with Wilt, Russell, and Duncan. Then Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, Kobe, and Shaq.
Very nice. I'd rate Olajuwon much higher than you, though. I guess it depends if you are assessing things by counting rings (only 2 for Dream) or play itself. I'd argue Dream played about as well as anyone I've ever seen in the 94 and 95 Playoffs against star centers and all-time defensive greats in the golden age of tough, physical defense. How many guys can play against the defense of the 90s Knicks or Spurs and be matched up directly against guys like D. Robinson, Ewing, or Shaq and still look like an NBA a superstar is playing college freshman? Standing out that much against that caliber of competition elevates him above the other elite centers in my opinion. It was a pity Sampson had chronic injury problems, foiling the Rockets' "twin towers" plan with Hakeem. That really set Dream back as far as competing for championships.
Mt Rushmore is tough I think bird magic n Jordan r a must... n idk 4 th maybe wilt .. Kareem was a great player but after 82 magic was the best player on that team
Larry Bird's defensive rating is far better than LeBron's, MJs, Pippen, Even better than teammates McHale and Parish. So yes, Bird was a better defender than LeBron
Kaioken Times Blue of course there is. Let me help you. Type "NBA all time defensive rating" and you'll see Larry Bird at #60, ahead of all the people I listed. Also, basketball reference provides these stats
Lee Brandt Dude what context is there to that? Defensive rating and defensive win share is such a meaningless stat. So Mr. StatsGeek, is Kyrie Irving a better defender than Iguadala? Because Kyrie has a higher defensive win share as of last season.
@@kaywill9677 Defensive win share IS a meaningless stat. All win share statistics are convoluted nonsense. Defensive rating is valid. It just measures how much opponents score while you're on the floor.
Favorite Bird story is when he dropped a 47 pount triple double against the Blazers 2/14/86 mostly left handed by choice. McHale was out and it was the second game in a back to back. Im sure theres a video floating around on TH-cam.
Larry legend is better than LeBron right now. We just have to wait and see how LeBron career ends. I will like too see a LeBron and Scottie pippen comparison.
No. They moved the line up only between 96-99 and then moved it back to the original distance. I would take Bird between 80-86 over Lebron, but overall Lebron's longevity I think gives him the edge.
Disagree with anything regarding Lebron James Vs. Bird. Bird, regardless of physicality, Bird beats Lebron all day everyday until Lebron James retires. Lebron will never be Larry Bird ever since the physical eras of Bird's era vs. Lebron's era will never be the same. Rules affect Lebron being able to do what he does now because he can't be touched without fouls being called. Bird would score 50 a game in today's rules. FACT.. End of discussion. Larry was a 90% shooter at free throws which Lebron WILL NEVER achieve. LARRY also beat the brakes off Lebron on the outside 3's. This discussion is pointless. Bird all time #1 greatest small forward. PERIOD.
Great video, been waiting on this one. Should have know you would also mention Grant Hill. Many people forget Grant Hill, I remember Chauncey Billups saying Grant Hill was Lebron James before Lebron James. Mr Big Shot had that 100% right. Have been thinking about MY top 5. Players that amazed me, some obviously on video. Center-Wilt Chamberlain P.Foward-Tim Duncan S.Foward-Bernard King S.Guard-Michael Jordan P.Guard-Michael Ray Richardson. That’s the 5 I would pay to see, not the best. But all amazing.
Defense is soft nowadays and Bird would never have loss in the Olympics! Bird is also known to tell players guarding him what he was going to do and then do it. He would even talk ish to the other coaches and then back everything he said up! Would also play games left handed just to make the game difficult for himself! And no small forward ever outplayed Bird head to head. There have been games where Lebron was outplayed by KD and games where Lebron would not guard KD but KD guarded him. Bird also never moved around to win rings. And lastly, Bird would beg his coach to shoot the last shot when James will look to pass the ball first.
LOL... did that dude ' alfonso White ' just call Larry Bird a role player ? Did he say LBJ would average 50-20-10 in the 80's ? He does know there was no 3 second defensive rule back then and there was hand checking right ? He does know that Lebron only just caught Larry's triple doubles record and it took Lebron 200 MORE games to do it! He does know that Larry averaged 25-10-6 with injuries in a league that wasn't off-screen, pick n roll spread court like today! Yes generally speaking there's more talent today I agree, but it's not as simple as what Alfonso says. Oh and average 60% really! Let's see Lebron get those soft bump layups he is getting this season with Hakeem waiting for him under the rim! No chance he average 60%, 45-50% I'd believe that. Yes Lebron is better than Larry but it's really close. Aside from athleticism, longevity and defense - Larry's skill was better than Lebron's. Learn the game man!
Bobby D handchecking was eliminated in 1978, where u was actually allowed to push an opponent with ur hand. After that u could just put a hand on them, but not push. This video shows them calling handchecking in the 80s and 90s th-cam.com/video/qPBz3_Jgd-U/w-d-xo.html
In Larry's prime, people all over the world were calling Bird the greatest player of all time! I have Larry ranked #2 all time.............. I have Lebron #7 all time
my favorite quote about Larry came from Celtics nemesis coach Pat Riley, who said "last shot to win a game? Michael Jordan. Last shot to save my Life? Larry Bird." ................kinda sums it up...
My favorite player of all time, is Magic. Unlike Jordan, he was a team player out of the gate and all out winner. How many players straight out of college, can play the game he did against an experienced Philly team on the road, and win a championship where everyone thought they had no chance?
When did Lebron ever guard Dwight Howad when he was in Orlando? When did Lebron ever guard Tim Duncun? Shannon needs to stop with that 1 to 5 nonsense.
Bird could score 50 a game with today rules. His scoring average could have been alot higher. He left games after the 3rd qtr alot, But when he played in the 4th, he was the best 4th qtr clutch player of all time. As Magic said, if you don't have a large cushion near the end of the 4th, Bird will assasinate you every time. LeBron, carry me off the court as i cry cause i got a cramp. It's not even close.
Larry usually did the bare minimum to secure the win. he much preferred to get his teammates engaged. so basically his high numbers were achieved naturally and they never subtracted from his teammates stats.
Great analysis and great video. I do get annoyed when they have these topics about LeBron vs Bird or MJ and skip misses on some great opportunities to make a better counter argument because he focuses too much on the whole clutch argument, but for the most part Skip is right when it comes to these topics.
I'll take Bird ALL day. I respect LeBron, but people are sleeping on how great Larry Bird was. Jordan himself layed out the red carpet for Bird which gives u an idea of how thorough the man was.
The Dr. J scrum was more about race when it came to none of Bird's teammates helping him vs. Irving's teammates helping him. It wasn't so much that Bird's teammates respecting Irving so much, it was that a White Boy schooled a Black legend and the black boys on his team weren't gonna help THEIR OWN white teammate. Reverse racism if that is such a thing. Can't argue that point any other way, and that's sad. You stand for your teammate first, no matter color. And whites are pegged as most racist. Sports bring out the racism in blacks too. Don't sugar coat it. If a brother on the Celtics outscored Dr. J 40-6 and talked trash, and Dr. J would've started with the black guy, the Celtics would've helped him. End of that discussion. Race prevailed there. FACT.
That's a pretty good list. I might be willing to swap Russell for Hakeem. Both of them are very unselfish players (which is great!!!), but you gotta like Hakeem's dominance in the modern era against players like Shaq, David Robinson, and Patrick Ewing.
Both are great players but Bird is better in everything except his athleticism. You also have to take into account when Bird played and how much tougher and rougher the game was. You put Bird's career during the current NBA ref style he would of lasted longer in the league and his stats would be even higher.
Larry Legend shot (what was it?) 27 points WITH HIS LEFT HAND in a game on a bet? Dude may be the most underrated player in this revisionist world we're in.
Larry Bird did it with the lane studded full of body's before the rules changed that basically clears the lane of over half is players and let's suffers like James shoot with half the defenders in his face. Larry had to do all that surrounded in a crowed lane.
Bird played in a more physical era and also pre expansion. From the 90s on, NBA talent has been diluted because there are more teams. Also, this modern era of the NBA is offensive friendly, and soft when it comes to allowing players to play defense.
i`ll take Bird any day of the week,,he is that nasty
MANCHESTER UNITED F.C gtfo with your 🐂💩
@Ricardo Sanders the only reason lebron has better stats is cause A hes been in the league 4 more years B lebron gets more shots and with the no- touch rule nowadays even looking at him gets you a foul called not to mention lebron cant shoot worth a dam from anywhere outside 5 ft from the hoop consistently hell his shoot pg% from outside said ft is a mere 33-35% so in parting when lebron finally gets into the 50/40/90 then we can talk bout him being better then larry but i dont see that happening anytime soon
Agree. Bird was sick af
Larry had tougher competition in his prime
He beats Jordan in the NBA playoffs
He beats Isiah Thomas in the NBA playoffs
He beats Julius Erving and the Seventy Sixers in the Conference Finals
He beats Kareem Magic Worthy and the LA LAKERS in the NBA Finals
I like your argument but before I reply I want to make it clear that I not a LeBron fan
That being said
We have to put in the context that
LeBron also had phenomenal competition in his prime
He beat Tim Duncan, kawhi leonard, Tony Parker and manu Ginobili in 2013 finals
He beat Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook in 2012
He beat 73-9 warriors with the greatest shooter in history and unanimous MVP Steph curry in 2016
All of them were either in their primes or very elite teams with previous finals experience
When Larry beat Jordan.......Scottie Pippen had not developed into a star yet......it was like Celtics vs Jordan
And Larry beat a young Detroit Pistons team not a prime(1989-1991) Pistons team.
That's why it is hard to say who had to face tougher competition.
I would say that Larry had a tougher eastern conference while LeBron had a tougher finals competition.
This doesn't mean either player is greater than each other. What I mean is that, competition is a very vague point to be considered in determining who is better since they both had their respective share of tough competition.
He or the Celtics? The Celtics have how many hall of famers from those teams in the 80's?
Jordan was 0-6 against bird in the playoffs
@Tammy T So according to you.....
The Dallas Mavericks who beat okc, swept kobe and beat the big three heat would be crushed?
The 2014 spurs which are the best passing team in the history of nba would be crushed?
Or the warriors teams which are the best shooting team in history would be crushed??
Your bias against LeBron is blinding your ability to actually appreciate the teams which beat him.
Don't let nostalgia guide your judgement.
To say that spurs or warriors would be crushed is ignorant.
If you say bird faced magic who is the greatest point guard of all time and kareem who is arguably the greatest center of all time then LeBron also faced Tim Duncan who is the greatest power forward of all time and Dirk who is top 5 power forward of all time and Kevin Durant who is a top 3 scorer of all time and Steph curry who is the greatest shooter of all time.
Don't just say LeBron had weak competition. Explain which team that he lost to was weak and why they will be crushed in the 80s.
I hope you understand what you just said.
You are implying that tim Duncan would get crushed in the 80s. You are implying that kawhi Leonard would be crushed in the 80s. You are implying that Dirk would be crushed in the 80s. You are implying that Kevin Durant and Steph curry would be crushed in the 80s. Which is ignorant. They all are all time talents. Which means you can put them in any era and they would great. How can you just assume that they will be crushed?😂😂
@MANCHESTER UNITED F.C y r u stating this on a basketball vid, no one even said that Basketball was more popular
Dude. This isn't even a question. All you youngsters who didn't get to watch real basketball in the '80s just don't get it. There isn't a team in the NBA today with a prayer of going seven games with the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, or Bulls of the mid-'80s to early '90s. If the Cavs or Warriors of today played a seven-game series with the Bad Boys, half the team would be on IR by the fifth game.
Lebron couldn't lace Bird's or Magic's Cons.
Your right. Because the warriors would kill them in the 4th.
@@pureorbitz5875 I am 100% sure L3-6ron would get swept even if they have the strongest Miami line up.
I watched Bird in the 80’s. His teams were stacked. Deep starting lineup- deep bench. The burden to dominate on both sides of the floor simply wasn’t there for Larry. They won every home game, average on the road. Lebron is massively better as a whole.
Yeah, bill laimbeer would guard Steph on a switch and put his foot out when Steph went up for a jump shot.
i love when he is nose to nose with KAreem. Remember when McHale took kurt rambis to the ground Lawerence Taylor style
Pat Riley said it the best: "If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan; If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life...I'd take Larry Bird."
Another great quote is "Larry Bird can't run or jump because that's God's way of making things fair." - Charles Barkley
That is a bad man !!! I love him to death !!! I play with my sons and I make a shot and say Bird!!!
No offense to Larry but I'm taking Sam Jones over Larry
@@coachwane And you would get fired sir!!
@@coachwane you really said sam jones 😆 🤣 😂
Larry Bird from 1984 to 1988 was the best basketball player I have ever seen. In his peak, he was better than Jordan in his peak, or LeBron in his. A better all-around shooter, passer, rebounder, team player, and clutch performer. Now if you want to talk about career value, that's a different conversation. But if you want to talk about who was simply the best, then it's Bird all the way.
ScoobTube your bugging out say Larry was better than Michael in his peak,Then you mentioned 1988 Jordan tore the league up in 88
Jordan’s offensive skill set, defense & postseason numbers put him above Bird for me. Bird doesnt touch Jordan in his peak or really at any time in his career when it comes to the post season.
@@Northphilly-wu4oq Bird beat Jordan and all of the greats in his time.
@@geraldgreen919 Jordan definitely could explode to the basket better than Bird but don't underestimate Bird's offensive skills. He scored a lot of points and shot the ball significantly less than Mike. Had he shot the ball as much as Mine he'd probably average what Mine did or more. Larry just did whatever it took on any given night but definitely could score.the man played a whole game shooting with his left hand lol.
Erfbgu 2 Definitely. I have Larry Bird at #2 for that reason. I think he could have matched Jordan’s scoring with slightly less efficiency if he dominated the ball the way Jordan did. Larry didn’t have the ball in his hands as much as Jordan but could take over when it was needed.
The 50,40,90 club twice puts Larry Bird over Lebron
Almost 4 times :)
Bird by far. The only player to average at least 20 points/10 rebounds/5 assists in nba history. He did that in a much tougher era. He's only player to win 3 consecutive MVP's besides Chamberlain and B. Russell. He was the first player to accomplish the 50-40-90 club. Look it up because Lebron will probably never do that. People saying Bird wasn't a good defender either didn't see him play or just trying to use ESPN's campaigning of James to build him up. And by the way if Lebron is such a superior defender, Bird did slight him in steal averages (coming into this year). Their block averages are identical.
For some reason ESPN has been promoting James the last three plus seasons. There is almost a fluff piece by Brian Windhorst every other day. It's sickening really. And if you've never seen Bird play (or any player from the past) it is more difficult to listen to those arguments saying James is better than him or players from the past.
Lebron could've won 5 straight if it wasnt for the 2011 season. Cmon
@@akeemwilliams2203 could've would've don't hold weight in debates. Debate facts not hypotheticals
@@simple45679 Well, Lebron was seen as the undisputed, best player in the game from 2008-2015. Those 3 other guys won those MVPS because of their team record along with comparable stats accumulated with James' stats during his peak years, Larry however, had the luxury of being the best player with the best team in the game, especially in '86. That was only for a 3 year period, hence why Bird won those 3 consecutive. Jordan was viewed as the best in the game since '88, however, the Lakers won more games and was better as a collective team. Henceforth, Magic was the MVP, not because he was better......but it's neither here or there. 🤷♂️
@@akeemwilliams2203 Inaccurate, he wasn't undisputed best in 08-10 because even while he was winning MVPs, his post season success is inconsistent. Many can easily argue that Kobe was better then because not only did he perform in the regular season, but also the post season. Lebron was undisputed from 2011-2015, let's not stretch the meaning of undisputed.
And don't even try to discredit Magic and Bird's MVPs because of their "team success". From 2011-2016, Lebron handpicked his super teams and was easily the best in the league talent wise, why didn't he win MVPs then? Yeah.
@@simple45679 Like I said my man, the 3 guys I'm referring to was Rose, Durant, and Curry. Those guys had better squads than James record wise, and personnel wise during their MVP seasons respectively. However, 2011 was that one year out of the 3 that James could've and should've won it. But bc of the how James was viewed as the villain, along with assembling the personnel out of the gate, and developing the cohesion right off the bat, their record was less than anticipated.
Henceforth, James was not the benefactor of the 2011 MVP
Larry bird and Magic can sit at the table with Michael Jordan. Period
Inconspicuous Man he sent me when he said they only have a chair!
Inconspicuous Man thank you
And Larry Bird would the one to get out of the room at the end of the day..
Inconspicuous Man No o.k what the he'll you talking about.? In terms of rings .no he Larry cannot. THATS WHAT THAT TABLES FOR..If not you gonna have all kinds of people sitting at mikes,Kareem,Russel table
So, Nobody can't sit on Bill's Table.....Not even MJ..
Last thing about Larry Bird. I live in Indianapolis. When I was young and had hair, I had a barber who actually played against Larry Bird in the playgrounds back in the mid 70s.
My barber said that he played against those hotel workers when Larry Bird was like thirteen and fourteen.
When he was older and in high school, Larry and his older brother would drive to Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago, Gary, and Detroit to play streetball.
THAT is where Larry got his toughness and crafted his trash talk. If you go to Gary, Indiana or Chicago and play “prison-ball” with those guys, going to play against Dr.J at the Spectrum in the early 80s is a walk in the park.
But basically Larry Bird was a well known playground legend in the Midwest before the rest of the world got to know him in 79. You go to every barbershop in any hood in Indianapolis and you might see a (signed) picture of Larry Bird.
You would also see signed pictures of Bobby Knight in every barber shop in the day as well because Bobby Knight was in every hood in the Midwest back then. He was fearless in the hood as well.
In any case, Bird was a country bumpkin, but he was hood to the core.
And yes, he did call dudes from Detroit or Louisville in the mid 70s “nigga” and got away with it because Bird was a hood dude and those dudes called him “nigga”.
Older guys in NYC said Chris Mullin could go to the Bronx or Harlem and call dudes “nigga” too.
Not every white player could do that in those neighborhoods, but those two had the street cred to get away with that.
Anthony Broaddus, love that story. I didn't know Larry did that.
Very interesting stuff man wow.. I definitely agree larry was a real one and you can tell he played some street ball in the playgrounds which is a totally a different environment i laugh when he threw that basketball at bill laimbeer. If you really think about larry bird he beat all the great teams in his day and all the real niggas too but people don't look at that. Larry was not the fastest or the most athletic he was simply a finesse and skilled player that is unmatched larry has beatin them all weather in reg season playoffs or finals he's beatin the best players in his era not too many can do that lol... I also think if Larry wouldn't of got hurt who knows how his career would've ended because if Larry would've enhanced his athletic abilities he would be far more better than he was back than i think if Larry played in this era he would be more better than he was back in his day because of the training nba players have aww man he would be a force to be reckon with... I also like u mention chris Mullin which is also my favorite player very skilled player and finesse and bobby knight crazy ass 😃 man he was something 👍
That makes a lot of sense, Bird had a lot of street ball dazzle in his game.
I also read when Pete Maravich was at LSU, he would go to black neighborhoods to play against "better" competition to improve his game as well. Kiki Vandeweghe did the that at UCLA when he was in H.S, too. Played against Sidney Wicks and others.
Tamila Shultz ...my nigga bitch go away
Oh I'm taking Larry for my small forward.
Bird was better easily
Lebron in a soft era. Bird dominated in an era where every team had great small forwards.
aram hamparian agreed
After watching a ton of 80's basketball, yes. I finally have to agree. The 90's were soft, and the 2000s were really pathetic (no one could shoot anything from anywhere), and then the 2010s were soft but at last there were shooters again. Even if they are mostly uncontested because defenses really don't have the option of really defending against a litany of palming and travel violations.
Colonel Gibbs bro you straight trippin. These players now and even 10 years ago Literally don’t know wtf defense is... Larry would straight dog EVERYONE in a one on one situation. He would absolutely destroy the NBA right now. Shannon sharpe played football.. 8 outta 10 times his opinion is straight up outlandish. Shannon also tends to go with an athletic player over a more skilled and coordinated player. Stick to football shannon
All im going too say, once they ruled no contact the league changed, bird got into physicall fist fits alot on top of abusing his body for the game saving balls outta bound. Both are great but the harder effort goes too larry.
@@torremth he has lebron in skill,eye hand coordination and most importantly he had him in every one of the psychological/mental aspect of the game.
If Bird was healthy he would destroy LeBron. Way to smart and could shoot a game winner from anywhere on the floor.
Notoriouskage1804 He was when he was winning championships and mvps...
Bird was only really healthy from 80-86 and those years he was undisputedly the best player in the NBA. But he hurt his back in the 87-88 season and was never the same player after that.
@Ricardo Sanders FOH
By the way, Kevin Durant on many occasions stated that he patterned his game after Larry Bird.
really? now I like Durant and think Durant is a great shooter like bird
Lebron 15 years to reach 59
Larry did it in 12 years as he was injured 1 season. Larry also did it against tougher league.
Ryan Irving was it tougher? Or are the players just more revered now because time has passed?
Dont know if it was tougher, it was more physical. Back then youu didn't draw a foul just cause someone bumped you like what happens in the league now
I dont think Larry had to guard 3 point shooters like curry and thompson and all these great guards
@@ZakiAlvarez Larry wouldn't be guarding guards so your point is pointless. He was a forward.
@@davidplummer2473 So was Lebron until last season... and he still had to guard Curry and other guard because of today's switch heavy game. Offenses will set picks till Larry's switched onto someone like curry ,Kd or kyrie.
One jump shot and your life is on the line - Bird all day everyday.
Let me explain something to all of you! When Jordan use to come into Boston and put up 60 points on the Celtics, do you know what Bird was doing? You got it! Something like 35/12/11 with a higher shooting percentage, a higher free throw percentage, and he would pass the ball over and over again to his teammates, where Jordan was ball hogging his entire career! Believe me, Bird's passing skills were just 1 notch below Magic, the best of all time!
But yet Michael almost STILL single handedly won the game
@@friday0408 isn't that what I said? But he almost single handedly beat them himself. What does that tell you?
@@jonrudd4733 basketball is a team game ... Bird understood that .. you don't ... jordan did not ... Lebron even less ... what other superstar ya got ... James Harden scores points ... his skill set compared to Bird? LOL
@@islandbuoy4 yes I understand that BBall is a team sport. Obviously, smartass, Jordon learned that, or he wouldn't have won 6 World Championships. But again, obviously you have a reading comprehension problem. I stated that he almost won the game single handedly.
@@jonrudd4733 LOL just checking .... how is your pulse on the situation? ... I get the same reaction from 'we the tRUMP sheeple' when I poke fun at the icon 'jesus loves ewe' ... this is just a test of your emergency broadcast system ... a voice taps ewe on the shoulder and presents another POV .... as rome burns the wankers discuss BB like it really matters .. ewe win
Physically Lebron dominates Bird in every way, but when it comes to pure basketball skill I take Bird every time. You put Lebron's mind in Bird's body and Lebron may not even make the Hall of Fame. You put Bird's mind in Lebron's body and Bird would have been the undisputed GOAT dwarfing even Jordan.
You put LeBron's mind in Larry's body and he might have made a college team, maybe.
are you serious? Bron can't even use physicality against steph Curry with the game on the line in game 1 of the 2018 finals LOL,. you put steph on Larry Bird and he would nail a 3 pointer right in his face using his left hand with the game on the line LOL
LOL Bird was never 265 lbs, that's Karl Malone territory there and he was WAY heavier than Bird was. Bird was 220 at most.
HPM Boss I wouldn't say Lebron's skillset is wack, it's actually very good for such a big and heavy guy. It's just not on the same level as Larry Bird's was.
@@LLUVITT put LeBron's mind in my body and he is riding the pines, in fact take the average mind of the average player in the NBA and place it into the body of anybody under 5'10" and 99% of the overpriced athletes in the NBA never make the big leagues ... they would be sitting here typing bullshit comments like this one ...
How is this even a debate?? BIRD ALL DAY!!! He is just a much better player all around.
I got Lebron James about 8th on my top 10 list. Don't see him moving from there. My opinion. Larry Bird was really good. I watched him school Rodman and Pippen like children in the playoffs. Nowadays generation of basketball watchers don't know and can't appreciate how great he was.
Yeah I agree, they never respect the greatness of this man Larry Bird. That guy had a skill set almost unrivaled. If he had just HALF of the athleticism of Jordan or Lebron, he probably would be considered the absolute greatest ever.
Luis Torres if he had those guys athleticism he would have been a sight to see. And Bird beat every HOF in his era in the playoffs. Dr. J, Moses, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Sampson, Hakeem, Isaiah, Dumars, Rodman etc all tasted defeat from Bird. Jordan got swept twice (bulls were not in their prime though). No one else in that era could boast that.
kharis87 yessir. He’s also the one that said that It’s not that Jordan is not a team player, it’s just that he has no team lol. Bird was king.
Luis Torres best small forward ever.......Larry Bird. He is number 6 in my top 10.
kharis87 You buggin. LeBron James is top 3. Kareem Jordan an LeBron.
Lebron James top 10. Bird top 3.
Lebron will in up top 3 in ranking
Lebron is top 2
@@TakablePond FUCK NO !!!
@@jph5913 BOISTOP😂😂😂😂 8th at best...
@@AHMAD-2324 fuck u🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🤧🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🤣🤣😅
LeBron ain't even better than Harden, OFFENSIVELY! 50 40 90 is almost impossible to accomplish in the 80's to the early 90's, TWICE!
“For the kids out there”.....
I’m so glad she said that because most people that claim Lebron was/is better than Bird weren’t even born when Bird was literally dominating the NBA.
ILL TAKE LARRY BIRD WHY?HE BEAT MAGIC,JORDAN,HAKEEN,ERVING,MOSES MALONE,BARKLEY,DETROIT,JABAR ETC....CLUTH TIME ITS A BIRD TIME!
As Lebron purposely feeds his stats every single night, even staying into games that are blowouts deep into the 4th quarter and why? To feed his stats, where Bird did the EXACT OPPOSITE...... Bird would bypass easy shots ALL THE TIME to make a pass to a teammate and spread the ball and the points around! I tell you, watch video of Bird and watch how often Bird would bypass easy shots to pass the ball to other teammates so they could make easy baskets!
Larry even passed the ball to his teammate when it was just the two of them at the basket.
I have Bird ranked #2 all time, I have Lebron ranked #7 all time. Both of them are incredible, but Bird made his entire team better, Bird made his coaches look like geniuses, Bird made the cheerleaders look better, Bird made the ball boys better, Bird made the water boys server better water! Lebron does not do this! Lebron really does not make anyone on his team better, in fact, Lebron actually hurts his teammates by forcing them to play Lebron ball which Kyrie did NOT want to play anymore. The mental toughness of Bird surpasses Magic and can be equaled only by Jordan! When Bird was playing in his prime, before his injuries, people were calling Bird the greatest player of all time! Bird was playing in a time of no social media, no Internet, no International sports news agencies and this is huge, this is a big big deal and why people do not know how great Jerry West was, or Oscar Robertson, Or Bird etc etc!
Tearstojoyministries.org agreed. I have Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Kareem on my personal Mt Rushmore.
People sleep on Bird for two reasons.
He’s white and most sports fans weren’t even born when Bird played so they rely on these “talking heads” on these (sensationalized) sports networks for their opinions.
you saw Bird play live?
I have Bird #1
Great point, I told brothers Jerry West was Stephen Curry before Stephen Curry. Fans don't know how good Bird was, but I would put him 2 slots under LeBron James. 1.Kareem 2.Jordan 3.Russell 4.Magic 5.LeBron 6.Wilt 7.Bird 8.Shaq 9.Olajuwon 10.Duncan.
ALL too true. West, Robertson and Baylor, too all get lost in time frame of the past. Even Russell and Wilt to a lesser degree. But all are top 10 all time greats.
I give any guy with less that can match or surpass the guy with more. Bird was nowhere near as athletically or physically gifted as LeBron but had more of an impact immediately in the NBA. Bird had the best offensive arsenal pre Jordan & Hakeem. Had it not been for his injuries he'd be Mt. Rushmore material.
Teddy Longfellow
lol, larry bird toyesd with hakeem when hakeem was toying kareem in 86,. Bird roasted both hakeem and MJ's ass and was the only player in NBA to beat every Legend in his era,.
@@realitybites629 .... I don't think Bird was able to guard Jordan but if you want to say Bird and his HOF team torched Jordan and a lineup of nobodies, then I can agree with that. I guess people forget how Jordan torched them in the playoffs in 86 (even though they lost) after missing most of the season with a broken foot but hey, he was a bum because he couldn't take a group of bums deep into the playoffs in the toughest conference at that time. Their whole team couldn't stop Jordan, and they played zone to boot (for fanboys who claim Jordan would have trouble playing against the zone). And since you know so much, who were Jordan's teammates during that time period???
Reed Richards Now imagine how much more success Bird would’ve had, if Len Bias didn’t pass away.
The way you settle this debate is simple: If you put LeBron with his own body, skill, and intelligence in the NBA from 1979-80 to 1985-86 on the Boston Celtics, with how the East was, there's no way LeBron would have won 3 titles with 3 straight MVP's the way the league and the East was in the 80's. Boston would have had a good team but they would have struggled to come out of the East in the 80's vs. Philly in 1984, 1985, and 1986 as well as Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Detroit - those teams in that era with that competition, LeBron could have not handled as a leader with all the pressure in Boston to come trough to win titles. The reason why I say this is because in LeBron's first years in Cleveland 2003-04 to 2009-10, he had troubles in the East vs. an underachieving Detroit team and a Boston team that was a one-hit wonder but he got swept in the 2007 Finals.
Larry Bird with his own body, skill, and intelligence playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers based upon what he did, would no doubt have taken the Cavs to win 3 titles with 3 MVP awards, if not more from 2003-04 to 2009-10 with his passing, shooting, ball-handling, and how he used his teammates' skill or imperfections. The way Bird shot, passed, and set up his teammates along with his post moves and ability to get to the line and how he fouled people out... not to mention the rebounding..... Just look at the competition at the small forward position Bird faced versus the small forwards in the era of 2003-04 to 2009-10... come on?
Bird was 100 times better. Now if you compare them man for man when it comes to basketball they are pretty even because what LeBron doesn't do well, Bird does well when it comes to shooting, foul shooting, clutch shooting, posting up, and just a killer instinct and leadership - Bird has LeBron beaten. They both pass well and see the court well; LeBron is more athletic and a better diverse defender but the game today is less physical and LeBron gets more of an advantage; the game Bird played was more physical and Bird had to earn more of his points even though he got a lot of calls. LeBron did more with less than Bird so that says a lot, but I still think Bird could have taken those guys LeBron had and made them champions in 2006, 2007, 2008 and especially in 2009 and 2010, just in how Bird took the game over and approached leading his teams to win. That 2008 second round exit vs. Boston was a joke by LeBron; Bird would not have allowed that to happen after being in the NBA Finals. Plus that 2009 ECF, Bird would have dominated that series and destroyed Kobe in the Finals; same in 2010. All you have to do is look at Bird from 1981 to 1986.
well said, I agree.
Agree, I could even imagine Malone besting LeBron
LeBron's numbers are only better than Bird because of longevity. That's it!
Chris Gowers That's not a fact LeBrons per game AVG is 27ppg birds at 24ppg and LeBron is 7 assist Larry 6 assist the only per game stat I see is rebounding Larry is a better rebounder that's about it.
@@yunggpacino LeBron is more ball dominant.. that's a knock on LeBron not a positive. It makes bird more dangerous. They are comparable with LeBron being in TWICE as long. Quality not quantity we're talking about here.
Sad that some of these young cats will never know how lit the Short Shorts 80s era of the NBA was.
Larry top 5, LeBron top 10... idc what you say if your a LeBron fan that can't think objectively about basketball. Bird was a better shooter, rebounder, way better FT shooter, defense is a toss up but as time goes on I see LBJ take more and more plays off on defense which Bird would never do. Bird played in the toughest era in regards to defense and competition. Today's soft ass NBA which is designed for 3 point shooters... Bird would have better numbers than LBJ in every category except assists IMO.
Even assists, Bird was the better passer too!
Larry the legend bird 🦅 is the goat 🐐. Period Sharp.
Basketball is a physical game...
Larry dominate basketball, because his physically dominant and they are afraid of his shooting, passing, assisting and rebounding ability. ..
And Bird didn't need to change team to be an MVP and to win championship. .
Bird never hesitate to shoot on clutch time , unlike LeBron who hesitate. ..
Bird was the Last Second Assassin.
Wilt Chamberlain had the knowledge of keeping in shape back in the 70's. He was the strongest in the NBA even Arnold Schwarzenegger said he picked him up with 1 arm and could bench press over 500 lbs
LARRY JOE BIRD ALL DAY ANYDAY!!!
Larry Bird of course. Larry whooped Jordan when they played and Larry had better fundamentals then LeBron.
@Sloan Jackson make those excuses fanboy
@Sloan Jackson lol LeBron went to Miami played with the 3rd greatest SG of all time..
Are McHale and Parrish top 5 at their positions? 😂
@Sloan Jackson also comparing the competition in the 80s eastern conference vs any time LeBron was in the east? 😂
Jordan was the lone superstar. Bird Meanwhile when they faced each other in the playoffs had 4 at most 5 other all stars.Jordan would not beat that by himself and plus there’s a maturation process. Jordan wasn’t better than Larry Bird coming into the league come on now. He had to grow into what he is. All players do
Well it's easy to whoop someone when there's 4 HOF player's next to you. Vs the guy who's second best player is Dave Corzine.
didnt bird had league leading steals at one point?so wats this BS abt him being a bad defender?
Hes white😕
Bird could use both hands, and he was unrelenting on the court, there wasn't a shot he could not make, and like Steve Nash played smart always, Bird honed his craft in University while Lebron came right out of high school and the difference shows. Bird was a facilitator and a delegator who did not take any plays off.
The ball-hogging in today's game makes it hard to compare stats to earlier times in the NBA. James Harden and Russell Westbrook rack up a lot of assists because they hold the ball 90% of the time. LeBron does the same crap and nobody calls him out on that. Larry would rack up a ton of assists and points while barely touching the ball. That's amazing. Less selfish and more efficient.
The thumbnail is deceiving because Bird is actually an inch taller than Lebron
1.Bird
2.Pippen
3.Dr J
4.LeBron
5.KD ( anticipating a 3-4 year DOMINANT stretch from him )
Really great video, well thought out. The injuries at the end really hurt Larry. Larry’s peak from 84-88 was amazing.
So SICK of hearing "Lebron can guard 1 through 5".
Except most of the time he DOESN'T guard anyone.
How many times has Lebron shutdown the best player?
How many times have bench players torched him in big moments?
These fanboys should stop talking about "can" and focus on "does".
Oh shit. Right on bro
I like to see Bill laimbeer play against LeBron James
Or Dennis rodman play against LeBron James or a bunch of other good defenders you see you can't hand check no more and the referees call everything for these sissy players you can't do the things you used to do man real basketball now if you just bump the guy it's a foul and then LeBron James would say I'm the greatest of all time come on man this is the most weakest era in a long time we've ever seen I don't think we've ever seen a week here like this until these little youngsters come into the league he touched my finger he he he rubbed up against my jersey it's a foul come on man
Lebomination 2011 finals i will NEVER FORGET
Pat Riley said if he had to pick the guy to take the shot to save his life, he picks Larry Bird.
My Mt Rushmore is Bird, Jordan, Magic, and Kareem.
Lebron is in the second echelon with Wilt, Russell, and Duncan.
Then Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, Kobe, and Shaq.
Anthony Broaddus...…… who would be your power forward, then? I'd say a toss up between Karl Malone and 'sheed or Duncan....possibly KG...
Good list, but I have to put Russell AND Wilt before Kareem.
Very nice. I'd rate Olajuwon much higher than you, though. I guess it depends if you are assessing things by counting rings (only 2 for Dream) or play itself. I'd argue Dream played about as well as anyone I've ever seen in the 94 and 95 Playoffs against star centers and all-time defensive greats in the golden age of tough, physical defense. How many guys can play against the defense of the 90s Knicks or Spurs and be matched up directly against guys like D. Robinson, Ewing, or Shaq and still look like an NBA a superstar is playing college freshman? Standing out that much against that caliber of competition elevates him above the other elite centers in my opinion. It was a pity Sampson had chronic injury problems, foiling the Rockets' "twin towers" plan with Hakeem. That really set Dream back as far as competing for championships.
And the thousands of women would agree with your selections ... Magic's Magic on the A Team followed by Wilt's Stilt starring in the B Movies
Mt Rushmore is tough I think bird magic n Jordan r a must... n idk 4 th maybe wilt .. Kareem was a great player but after 82 magic was the best player on that team
Larry Bird's defensive rating is far better than LeBron's, MJs, Pippen, Even better than teammates McHale and Parish. So yes, Bird was a better defender than LeBron
Lee Brandt Nah. There's no context for that stat.
Yes, there is..Look it up
Kaioken Times Blue of course there is. Let me help you. Type "NBA all time defensive rating" and you'll see Larry Bird at #60, ahead of all the people I listed. Also, basketball reference provides these stats
Lee Brandt Dude what context is there to that?
Defensive rating and defensive win share is such a meaningless stat. So Mr. StatsGeek, is Kyrie Irving a better defender than Iguadala? Because Kyrie has a higher defensive win share as of last season.
@@kaywill9677 Defensive win share IS a meaningless stat. All win share statistics are convoluted nonsense. Defensive rating is valid. It just measures how much opponents score while you're on the floor.
Larry Bird couldn’t run or jump because that was God’s way of keeping the game fair.
I watched Magic vs Bird on CBS. Larry was Cerebral in the playoffs h alf court game it was harder to score...Shooter 3 MVP's CLUTCH
Anybody watching after the Last Dance finale?
Never saw Bird recruiting like LB...that's one thing. LB didn't need to "recruit" players to enhance his legacy. Apparently LB did.
PREACH! 👍
Favorite Bird story is when he dropped a 47 pount triple double against the Blazers 2/14/86 mostly left handed by choice. McHale was out and it was the second game in a back to back. Im sure theres a video floating around on TH-cam.
22 of his pts left handed thru 3 quarters. Stopped paying left handed in the 4th because the game was too close. "Saving my right hand for the Lakers"
Larry Joe Bird hands down ! ! !
Larry legend is better than LeBron right now. We just have to wait and see how LeBron career ends. I will like too see a LeBron and Scottie pippen comparison.
I agree! Bird is clutch specially on longer range!!
LBJ has never guarded 1-5 I don't understand why they keep saying that shit!
I love your commentary. You make a statement and then follow it up with facts to support your statement. That is the way it should be. Great job
Lebron could play in any era, but if I had to pick between the two, I would go with Larry. Not by much, but that's who I would pick.
Wasn't the 3 pt line farther back in the 80s?
No. They moved the line up only between 96-99 and then moved it back to the original distance.
I would take Bird between 80-86 over Lebron, but overall Lebron's longevity I think gives him the edge.
Disagree with anything regarding Lebron James Vs. Bird. Bird, regardless of physicality, Bird beats Lebron all day everyday until Lebron James retires. Lebron will never be Larry Bird ever since the physical eras of Bird's era vs. Lebron's era will never be the same. Rules affect Lebron being able to do what he does now because he can't be touched without fouls being called. Bird would score 50 a game in today's rules. FACT.. End of discussion. Larry was a 90% shooter at free throws which Lebron WILL NEVER achieve. LARRY also beat the brakes off Lebron on the outside 3's. This discussion is pointless. Bird all time #1 greatest small forward. PERIOD.
Clutch play = Bird > James
Just watch some clips on Larry Bird Lebron could learn a lot from him
If LeBron had Bird physical abilities does he even make the NBA? Give Bird LeBron abilities and he's Jordan times 10!
LeBron guard a 5? There are no 5's. He couldn't guard any center in the 80's or 90's. Even Will Perdue would have abused him in the paint.
Mark Eaton
Lol. Very true.
Bill Cartwright
Great video, been waiting on this one. Should have know you would also mention Grant Hill. Many people forget Grant Hill, I remember Chauncey Billups saying Grant Hill was Lebron James before Lebron James. Mr Big Shot had that 100% right. Have been thinking about MY top 5. Players that amazed me, some obviously on video. Center-Wilt Chamberlain P.Foward-Tim Duncan S.Foward-Bernard King S.Guard-Michael Jordan P.Guard-Michael Ray Richardson. That’s the 5 I would pay to see, not the best. But all amazing.
Defense is soft nowadays and Bird would never have loss in the Olympics! Bird is also known to tell players guarding him what he was going to do and then do it. He would even talk ish to the other coaches and then back everything he said up! Would also play games left handed just to make the game difficult for himself! And no small forward ever outplayed Bird head to head. There have been games where Lebron was outplayed by KD and games where Lebron would not guard KD but KD guarded him. Bird also never moved around to win rings. And lastly, Bird would beg his coach to shoot the last shot when James will look to pass the ball first.
Shannon is embarrassing,SMH!
He can be sickening at times!
Larry Bird was an assassin
Larry's the GOAT - nothing against Lebron - but I'd pick Bird for any team before James.
LARRY BIRD
LeBron doesn't have the killer instinct Bird had. Bird is in my opinion the greatest small forward to ever play the game ask MJ
LOL... did that dude ' alfonso White ' just call Larry Bird a role player ? Did he say LBJ would average 50-20-10 in the 80's ? He does know there was no 3 second defensive rule back then and there was hand checking right ? He does know that Lebron only just caught Larry's triple doubles record and it took Lebron 200 MORE games to do it! He does know that Larry averaged 25-10-6 with injuries in a league that wasn't off-screen, pick n roll spread court like today! Yes generally speaking there's more talent today I agree, but it's not as simple as what Alfonso says.
Oh and average 60% really! Let's see Lebron get those soft bump layups he is getting this season with Hakeem waiting for him under the rim! No chance he average 60%, 45-50% I'd believe that.
Yes Lebron is better than Larry but it's really close. Aside from athleticism, longevity and defense - Larry's skill was better than Lebron's.
Learn the game man!
Bobby D handchecking was eliminated in 1978, where u was actually allowed to push an opponent with ur hand. After that u could just put a hand on them, but not push. This video shows them calling handchecking in the 80s and 90s th-cam.com/video/qPBz3_Jgd-U/w-d-xo.html
In Larry's prime, people all over the world were calling Bird the greatest player of all time! I have Larry ranked #2 all time.............. I have Lebron #7 all time
Did you watch basketball in the 80's? That video does not reflect hardly anything that happened in that era. Don't believe everything you watch.
Larry 333200 I've seen and y'all saying it was physical is not true
The NBA during the 80's was close to football, that is how physical it was, you could actually get into fights and not even get kicked out of the game
Bird was the best overall!
my favorite quote about Larry came from Celtics nemesis coach Pat Riley, who said "last shot to win a game? Michael Jordan. Last shot to save my Life? Larry Bird." ................kinda sums it up...
My favorite player of all time, is Magic. Unlike Jordan, he was a team player out of the gate and all out winner. How many players straight out of college, can play the game he did against an experienced Philly team on the road, and win a championship where everyone thought they had no chance?
BIRD, i dont have to watch this to tell me that.
If I was leading a front office to choose who I wanted to build around, give me Bird
When did Lebron ever guard Dwight Howad when he was in Orlando? When did Lebron ever guard Tim Duncun? Shannon needs to stop with that 1 to 5 nonsense.
Larry Bird...Larry Legend. On the last shot, who wants the ball? Laaaaarry...Laaaarry!
Larry Bird all day long and on any day of the week.
I don't even have to watch this Larry Joe bird Larry Legend
Larry Legend is the greatest SF ever ....
Larry was far better
Bird could score 50 a game with today rules. His scoring average could have been alot higher. He left games after the 3rd qtr alot, But when he played in the 4th, he was the best 4th qtr clutch player of all time. As Magic said, if you don't have a large cushion near the end of the 4th, Bird will assasinate you every time. LeBron, carry me off the court as i cry cause i got a cramp. It's not even close.
Larry usually did the bare minimum to secure the win. he much preferred to get his teammates engaged. so basically his high numbers were achieved naturally and they never subtracted from his teammates stats.
Great analysis and great video. I do get annoyed when they have these topics about LeBron vs Bird or MJ and skip misses on some great opportunities to make a better counter argument because he focuses too much on the whole clutch argument, but for the most part Skip is right when it comes to these topics.
Reportedly he tore both Achilles tendons in the 88-89 season.
darkstack he had bone spurs in both of his Achilles and had to get them removed
I'll take Bird ALL day. I respect LeBron, but people are sleeping on how great Larry Bird was. Jordan himself layed out the red carpet for Bird which gives u an idea of how thorough the man was.
The Dr. J scrum was more about race when it came to none of Bird's teammates helping him vs. Irving's teammates helping him. It wasn't so much that Bird's teammates respecting Irving so much, it was that a White Boy schooled a Black legend and the black boys on his team weren't gonna help THEIR OWN white teammate. Reverse racism if that is such a thing. Can't argue that point any other way, and that's sad. You stand for your teammate first, no matter color. And whites are pegged as most racist. Sports bring out the racism in blacks too. Don't sugar coat it. If a brother on the Celtics outscored Dr. J 40-6 and talked trash, and Dr. J would've started with the black guy, the Celtics would've helped him. End of that discussion. Race prevailed there. FACT.
Larry the legend! No match!
There's one table and it's Jordan, Jabbar , Russell, Bird, and Magic.
That's a pretty good list. I might be willing to swap Russell for Hakeem. Both of them are very unselfish players (which is great!!!), but you gotta like Hakeem's dominance in the modern era against players like Shaq, David Robinson, and Patrick Ewing.
Jason Richards couldn’t agree more
Cause Wilt’s table is a table of one.
Is this a joke???....Larry Bird is an artist, thinker and the best in the history of the game.......you can forget about the rest.
Both are great players but Bird is better in everything except his athleticism. You also have to take into account when Bird played and how much tougher and rougher the game was. You put Bird's career during the current NBA ref style he would of lasted longer in the league and his stats would be even higher.
Larry Legend shot (what was it?) 27 points WITH HIS LEFT HAND in a game on a bet? Dude may be the most underrated player in this revisionist world we're in.
Look at the finishes between 5:55 and 6:30 man.....he was incredible
Larry Bird did it with the lane studded full of body's before the rules changed that basically clears the lane of over half is players and let's suffers like James shoot with half the defenders in his face. Larry had to do all that surrounded in a crowed lane.
Bird all the way
Larry beat Jordan, magic, Dj, EVERYONE
Just compare Larry's 1st 13 years to Lebron's 1st 13 years, without favoritism or discrimination.
Bird was like Houdini. It was always a treat to watch his show.
Bird played in a more physical era and also pre expansion. From the 90s on, NBA talent has been diluted because there are more teams. Also, this modern era of the NBA is offensive friendly, and soft when it comes to allowing players to play defense.