Larry Bird is most definitely one of the all time great players and small forwards. So when he speaks up or gives his opinion on another great player, it's worth listening to. Larry Legend lives up to his nickname with a legendary career that included 3 regular season MVP awards, 3 NBA championships, 2 Finals MVP awards. He made the all-star game on 12 different occasions while reaching the All-NBA first team 9 times. Not only this, but Larry Bird went on to be a coach and owner in the NBA. As a coach, he won the COY award in 1998 and coached the Eastern All-Stars that season.
Larry has a lot of experience with the NBA, he's seen many great players come and go, but only few gain the respect from him to compare them to arguably the greatest. Bird recently talked about LeBron James and how he ranks him on the NBA's all time ranking.
Larry Bird talks LeBron in comparison to Jordan
At age 60, Larry Bird is still very much involved with the sport of basketball and the NBA. Recently he spent most of his time being the owner of the Indiana Pacers and attempting to set them up for success, but recently stepped down from his job after the Pacers got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2017 NBA playoffs.
Larry Bird has spoken on his opinion about where King James ranks when compared to the all time great or greatest players.
Larry stated:
This is a very large compliment from a man known as the greatest small forward of all time, that was until LeBron came along. Putting James 'close' to Jordan could be Larry insinuating that the King is the second or third greatest player of all time. While Larry might have confidence in himself, he may have already succumbed to the thought of LeBron James being the greatest small forward of all time.
Bird on LeBron: "I don't think he's Michael Jordan, but you can put him up there close to him."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) May 1, 2017
Who's the greatest small forward of all time?
When talking about who the greatest small forward of all time, most people would be quick to mention the names LeBron James, Larry Bird and Julius Erving, and rightfully so.
These three are three of the greatest talents that have ever stepped on the NBA hardwood. But for most people, the argument is more or less between LeBron and Larry.
LeBron has already played one more season than Larry Legend did in his NBA career. A career that was struck with injury after his prime years. LeBron has already scored more points, racked up more assists, stolen the ball more times, blocked more shots and played more games over his regular season career. While Larry does lead LBJ in the rebound department as of right now, it's seems that he will not hold that record for much longer as the King is projected to have many more elite years in the near future.
When it's all said and done, LeBron will likely have blown Larry out in all statistical categories, while also having more MVP awards and likely more NBA championships. While the debate is still ongoing as of right now, it probably won't be in a few more years.
