Larry Bird Thinks LeBron James Is Potentially The Best Player In NBA History
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Larry Bird Thinks LeBron James Is Potentially The Best Player In NBA History
NBA great Larry Bird has received some consideration when it comes to debate about the best player in league history.
While he is deserving, Bird is also honest. He kept it real when he was recently asked LeBron James during an interview with NBA TV.
Bird’s message: give James his credit.
“Quit whining about LeBron,” Bird said. “Enjoy him while he’s here. He’s unbelievable. He’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest ever.”
James is often linked with Michael Jordan as the best player of all-time. James just finished participating in his 20th All-Star game Sunday in Indianapolis. He finished with eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 14 minutes.
Longevity has been the key argument for James, who has won four NBA championships. Last year he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s career scoring leader.
While James will never match Jordan’s 6-0 record in the NBA Finals, his resume is equally impressive. Again, this debate will likely live on forever but more old-school players like Bird are finally starting to give James his due.
“As good as you think he was, he was that much better,” retired player Shane Battier said of James during an appearance on the Draymond Green podcast. “I’m biased. I know. People will say LeBron or MJ? I said, you know, LeBron did something twice that I don’t think Michael Jordan could ever do once. He won two NBA titles with Shane Battier as the starting power power forward.”
Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He’s also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.
