I can respect that everyone have their right to root for who they want to root for. As of late, I've become a big fan of Larry Bird. I've always liked him, but after hearing his story I can relate to him
Luca and Joker have elements of Bird’s game. But neither one of them have the most important trait! Larry Bird was a cold blooded killer when his team needed it the most! Best example of this was in the 88 Easter Conf Div game 7 against the Hawks. Both of his Achilles were killing him, but he found a way to go out there and carry his team on his back in the 4th quarter to win!
Yes, there are players with elements of Bird's game. I've seen Jokic live and the influence is obvious. But there will never be the same combination of Bird's intellect, personality, humor and hubris, toughness, skills, size, upbringing, work ethic, Indiana basketball culture, and the affect of his father's life and suicide. There will probably never be another skinny white, poor kid who grown black men taught to talk trash and play street ball. Who else could face the humiliation of leaving IU (you blew it, Bobby), then bounce back from pushing a broom and hauling trash to the cover of Sports Illustrated, an NCAA final, and a storied career with the Celtics? Earvin isn't talking about Larry Joe Bird, the Legend. He's talking about his friend, the man. Magic was right. There will never be another Larry Bird.
@@jonathan031795 The guys you mentioned to being Larry Bird are not as good as Larry they have Larry traits but they are not all around great players Larry did it all they don't do it all and they don't have the basketball IQ that Larry has there was no cap in Magic's statement
There will never be another Larry Bird because none of the current players will ever have to deal with the physicality of that era. Watch a few minutes of “The Bad Boy Pistons” to get a feel of what Bird and Jordan had to deal with, no comparison.
Man, I'm 50 and grew up being a huge Bird fan and there was nothing better than watching Magic vs Bird with my Dad! I was shocked when I first saw people reacting to Larry on RUclips and still people saying he was un-athletic? He passed like a point guard, shot like a shooting guard, played forward or small forward or even center and out rebounded the league leaders a lot of the time and shot like a dagger from 3 at 6-foot 9"! Had his back held up I would like to have seen where he would stand!!
Here is a statistic most people don't realize about Larry Bird Bird averaged more defensive rebounds per game than (and this is just a small sample): Shaquille O'Neal Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Moses Malone Karl Malone Charles Barkley David Robinson Hakeem Olajuwon Ralph Sampson Patrick Ewing Kevin Durant Dikembe Mutumbo
For perspective, a lot of those players actually played until they were shells of themselves, leading to poor stats at the end of their careers. To be fair you must look at the peaks. You're not about to tell me that Larry Bird is a better defender than Moses Malone
@@jonathan031795 For perspective - the same thing can be said of Bird. IF you look at his rebounding stats before and after he injured his back. As for Moses Malone vs Bird and who is the better defender - let me ask you a question - why is Malone a better defender than Bird?
Bird said Moses Malone had a second jump when he rebounded that he didn't have. Bird always gave props for his competitors and told it like it was. Another reason Bird is my favorite player of all time.
@@jonathan031795after 1985 Bird had destroyed his back fixing his mothers driveway, he didn’t trust anyone else to do it correctly. With a broken back he proceeded to torch everyone in the league for another 7 years. He won the three three point contests after he injured his back and won his third ring.
@@jonathan031795Larry injured his back, and played for another 7 years. Let that sink in. Do you think LBJ, KD, Steph, or any other players today would continue to play for 7 years with a back that was like Larry Birds. Bird had 6 healthy seasons.
Never be another Larry Bird. It's not just his skill sets. You can't compare another to Larry when it comes to trash talking, attitude, work ethic, hustle, team oriented play, toughness, and leadership. Joker and Luka don't have all that. That's why my top 3 players are MJ, Bird, Kobe. They were all tough, straight killers, heart of a Lion, and competitive psychopaths.
@@jonathan031795 yes but you would have to combine both of their skills and kobe's heart to equal bird. Watching Luka I believe bird would probably average 5 more points a game in today's NBA
@@jonathan031795has any of them won 3 MVPs in a row? Bird is the third and last person to accomplish this. Took a team with a horrible win/loss record to the playoffs his rookie year and that is why he won Rookie of the Year. LeBron James has as his top 3: Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlin and Larry Bird
@@andrewft31OR, "ONE" steal away from a QUADRUPLE DOUBLE, in the THIRD QUARTER, but took his own self out the game! Very short list of quadruple doubles EVER. Lol
Not only was Bird the third player (and the only forward) to make MVP 3 times in a row but In a 9-year run from 1980 to 1989, Larry Bird got 67% of all MVP votes that were cast. All other players combined only received 33% of the votes. in an era that included the players who eventually made up the dream team and a large list of HOF players.
I've watched NBA just on tapes way longer that most. I started watching on reels about the stars of the 60's and 70's at the USIS in our city in the Philippines. I was a basketball player myself and privileged to be able to watch those reels in that building. I remember those players Gail Goodrich, Elvin Hayes, Pistol Pete, Monty Towe, Thompson, etc, long forgotten names. The technology transitioned to Betamax tapes for rent, and then DVD, and parabolic satellite antenna where we now in the third world country can watch NBA championship games live. Finally, we now have cable TV and watch games live for years. I've watched all them during their college days and in the NBA. My idol was Bill Walton of the UCLA Walton gang for awhile until the name Larry Bird stated appearing in some sports magazines. Then i saw him play. He was just awesome. Complete player and always a winner. There are many legends in the game but that is the word legend in a generic sense. Larry owns that title simply because he is the best by far. Larry Legend.
@@jonathan031795with players like Bird and Magic you can’t go by stats, they were about winning not scoring, if someone else was able to score Bird and Magic made sure they got the ball. Notice when Bird plays he doesn’t hesitate to pass to Parish or McHale or Johnson to Kareem or Byron Scott. If Bird and Magic were ball hogs they would have higher number of points but that isn’t how they approached the game.
@@jonathan031795His stats are the third highest in the NBA 43.7, I believe. Sir, you need to watch some actual Larry Bird games. I can’t understand or agree with any of your opinions and I watched basketball until Kobe was pretty much done. I’m also a Lakers fan, but I recognized Bird was something else, right away. I was mad that he wasn’t on our team! I was six, and didn’t get loyalty or any of that. I just knew he was a spectacular player to watch. He controlled the court like no one else could, then or now. No other player influenced the game without holding the ball. He was everywhere on the court, assisting, stealing, rebounding, and scoring. He was the absolute best clutch player. Badass Kobe played on a sprained ankle, remember? Can you imagine how much that hurt? Bird played with a broken thumb and finger; a two inch cut between his big toe and next one, for an infection to drain; a broken spine; two Achilles’ tendon injuries; and still managed to be as amazing as he was! He’s also a phenomenal passer, which none of the guys you’re mentioning come close to comparing to. Not to mention, everyone of the young bucks that have come after Larry, had the advantage of studying, and learning from him. That’s a major privilege Larry didn’t have. You simply don’t have enough data in front of you to be making such accusations and convictions, IMO.
"MJ said Luka and Joker are great but they are by no means Larry Bird." Every player that played against Bird says the same thing whether they loved it or hated him. Jordan said it best when he was asked about playing Bird. "He wasn't that athletic, didn't jump that high,run that fast. But his mind for the game was so great it made up for it. Therefore Larry Bird has no flaws."
I read somewhere that Bird had Bron's passing, KD's midrange shooting touch, Curry's long range and free throw accuracy, Jokers rebounding skills, Kobe and MJ's killer will, and more clutch than any player in history! It should say they have Birds.
Magic is a better passer. All of those players named were arguably better in each of those traits. I would say that Bird is the 2nd greatest " all-around " player of all time behind LeBron, in my opinion
@@jonathan031795 I'm from Cleveland and I'm grateful to Lebron for the Championship he helped bring to the Cavs. I can't give the goat title to him, in my opinion players that jump from team to team like KD and Lebron as well as others to form super teams in order to win titles can't be considered the goat. Can you imagine how many titles would have been won if MJ, Bird and Magic would have formed a super team. Their thought process was I want to Beat the best not join them.
@@jonathan031795 Bird behind LeBron? Bird knew how to win and how to lift his teammates to give their best. Bird was selfless and a great leader. He excelled in the clutch. LeBron exhibits none of those traits.
I forgot this one - during his career Bird led the NBA in defensive win shares 4 times. IF you add together the number of times Jordan and LeBron have done that - you get ZERO
Bird had a better supporting cast. Defensive win shares it, not an individual stat. It will only go to players that's on the best defensive teams. Dennis Johnson, Ainge, Parish and McHale were all solid defenders. Dennis Johnson is one of the best lane defenders in NBA History
@@jonathan031795 Since when is DFS not an individual stat? If it was a team stat then all players on the team would have a similar DFS and that is not true.
If all the legends that played against him called him the greatest, who are we to argue? Thats just how I see it, do we really have any authority to say they are wrong? They all universally picked Bird.
@@jonathan031795 Your right, of course they exclude themselves. But we have to ask who do they all name as being the best? They all have one name on their lips, no?
I think the "I get a charge when I tell someone on the opposing team that I'm gonna hit the last second shot then do it. That's what it's all about." clip is the most honest and defining moment of Larry Bird. That is at his heart of his game. It seems genuine and you can see that's his drive and love of the game.
I don't see Luka or Jokic repeating Larry's path. 3 time consecutive MVP. (not even Jordan or Lebron could do this). Finished 2nd in MVP voting for 70% of the rest of his career. Neither of them have the clutch factor of Bird.
Enjoyed your reaction 😊 For me Larry Bird's trash talking, either broke a player down, or forced an opponent to be a better player, & it was the strength of the player, which way they were affected.......that was just a part of who Bird was 😊 I agree with your comparisons as well......My Dad and I have watched Larry since the 70's, and the only players that came close to his style in our opinions, are also, Jokic & Luka.
I do not have Kobe in my top five but will not dispute anyone that does. One of my all time favorites as well. He was definitely very special. Wrote a poem about him when he passed
The thing is you have Luka and Joker who can do some of things Bird could do but neither of them can do everything Bird could do. For 4 straight seasons over 300 games 84-88 Bird averaged a 50/40/90 with just over 28 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists per game. It's a ridiculous stat line that no one can match across the board and even the few that can match some of it, don't even come remotely close to doing it for over 300 games straight. You can't even find players that can play 300 games over 4 straight seasons today let alone maintain anything close to those stats.
God Bless Boston 🍀... Bird, Kevin and Robert 🏆🏆🏆...I never knew what basketball greatness was till I saw Bird and Magic play 🪄✨... Highest basketball IQ's I ever seen
What everybody doesn’t realize about Larry Bird’s trash talk is, Larry’s trash talk wasn’t obnoxious and flagrant. His trash talk was to get in his opponent’s head. Look at all the other trash talk guys, they are stupid obnoxious and stupid. Larry Bird played every game 150% every game. NOT ONE NBA PLAYER TODAY DOES THAT.
1ST CONDOLENCES TO MR. WALTONS LOVED ONES. R.I.P. BILL 2ND THESE PLAYERS ONLY HAVE PIECES OF ASPECTS OF BIRD's GAME. NOWHERE NEAR BIRD. KEEP DIGG'N THO, YOUVE ONLY FELT THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF HOW COLD LARRY BIRD, WAS, IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE. LARRY AT A PACERS PRACTICE .. LANCE STEPHENSON SAID: THE TEAM IS STRETCHING AND LARRY WALKS ONTO THE COURT, GRABS A BALL AND STARTS JACKING 3's, SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH. ATLEAST 10 IN A ROW, AND SITS BACK DOWN LIKE HE DIDNT DO ANYTHING. MIND YOU LARRY BIRD WAS 60 AT THE TIME ! LEGEND !!!
Damn, that backhanded pass at the Indiana state game is almost not humanly possible. Wherever he falls on your list, there were many nights when Larry Bird was the best basketball player on the planet. He was just that good.
Met Larry Bird at the Dolphin hotel at Disney World in 97…entered the elevator late at night, 11pm, and there he was, Larry Legend…I nervously asked, “sir, are you Larry Bird?”..he goes, “well son the last time I checked I was”…I asked him to sign the receipt I had in my pocket from the restaurant at the hotel and he said, “only if you give me some of that ice cream “…I went to hand it to him and he laughed and said he was joking, I was 13 btw…he couldn’t of been any cooler and the dude is tall as hell…felt like he was almost 7 ft…he’s not but it seemed like it to a young teen me…next day I met Phil Jackson, Rodman, Ewing, and John Stockton who were all there for a Gatorade charity event that weekend…Phil Jackson actually paid for my family’s cab fare…he was waiting for a cab and saw us standing there and offered it then handed my pops a $100 bill which my pops tried refusing but he insisted..very nice dude as well…they all were…Rodman was pretty damn impressive in person too
Larry Bird was Larry Bird and there will be another Larry Bird , have you ever seen Luka or the other players you mentioned told the other team what what they were going to do and then do it , no I didn't think so , Larry Bird was the Master
It is so fun to see Larry Bird playing in his high school and college, because his play didn't really change much. He just got more accurate as time went on. He was the catalyst and driving force in those teams. It killed him when his college team was beaten by MSU & Magic Johnson. They double and triple teamed Larry and because his team depended on his scoring and passing to score, they lost. Even though Illinois State was a 30-0 team, it pretty much depended on him. From that day forward, he was determined to beat the Lakers. Now Magic was unhappy because he lost ROY to Larry. So from then on both Larry and Magic kept track of what the other was doing and how they were playing, driving themselves to practice more because they thought that is what the other one was doing. Determined to even the score.
Grew up in Michigan. Got to watch Magic in high-school and at MSU. Was a Pistons fan first, then pulled for the Lakers second because of Magic...Bird is in top 5
larry was a pure shooter, 50.40.90. club twice. luka will never be in that class. neither will jokich. luka is like harden he dribbles the air out of the ball. larry usually got the ball from the point guard half way through the play and then he finished the play. joker is way too slow he likes the pick and roll. if no one is open then he has to take a 3 {34 %} or bully his way to the basket. joker is a different kind of player than larry. larry's winning % is 73.8 2nd best of all time. joker will never get close to that, thanks for listening.
Can any of those guys you mentioned tell the other team what play they are gonna do and then proceed to go out and do it? If not, then they are not another Larry Bird...the trash talking is my guess is what Magic was talking about.
One of the greatest coach's of the game(Pat Riley)once said "If I have to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan...If I have to choose a player to take a shot to save my life... I'd take Larry Bird!". Bird was a masterful basketball player. His game is ageless. And in top of that, he is the best trash talker in the history of the game and beyond but he baked up each and every time. To me, he is the Muhammed Ali of basketball.
I don't want to burst people's bubble, but the defender had his back to Bird when he knelt/fell into the trainers lap. As a Bird fan, it doesn't matter to me. It was a great move to fulfill his promise. I loved it! Well, that's how I saw it anyway.
Pretty sure that in the oldest version of the story that I've seen, he clearly says that "in the trainer's lap" meant on that sideline, not literally falling into his lap. I don't think the fall was necessary to fulfill what he'd said, just a story that got garbled by too many tellings over too many years. But I agree the fall looks awkward. I don't think we have the camera angle to tell if it was real or not.
Without Magic Johnson and Larry Bird their would be no NBA, they were dying. Low ratings, low attendance, drugs issues, playoffs would be played after reruns. Bird and Johnson brought attention back to the league and saved it. No Bird and Johnson and you would have no Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant etc… and those players you named that could be similar to Bird, Bird won Rookie of the Year, took a bottom tier team with the worst win/loss record and took them to the playoffs his first season, won a ring his 2nd years, won 3 MVPs in a row, only the third and last person to do this. 0-6 against Jordan in the playoffs.
Gary Payton throws compliments around like manhole covers. If HE says Bird is the shit, you’d best put Bird at #2 where he belongs. As for Luka and Jokic, till they tell the defense what they’re gonna do, then do it, NO COMPARISON!!!
I think you might realize how truly different Larry Bird was if you would watch a few complete games. He was so entertaining and full of surprising moves. He made it fun to watch basketball. Also, remember the NBA when Larry and Magic came into the League and how they helped elevate it by the time they left. They were great, there were great players before them and after them, and there are great players today. Forget the ranking. Give credit where it is due to all the greats.
Bird played against too many of the greats. In a much more physical era of basketball. Can you even imagine any of the good teams today trying to play against the old school defense of the Detroit Bad Boys, Or Boston, Or Ewing and the Knicks, Barkley and the 76s The eastern conference in those days was violent
If Jokic wasn't robbed of MVP last year because of voters fatigue, we would be talking about a 4 time MVP winner. I think it's safe to say at this point of his career it's a valid argument. Both Luka and Jokic don't play with the talent that Bird played with
I can respect your loyalty to the Lakers. Growing up, I was a Celtic fan and loved the rivalry between those two teams. I hated Magic and all the Lakers, but you had to respect them. Now, years later, I actually love Magic and all those Laker greats. The amount of respect that those players had for each other even though it was the most intense rivalry is just something you don't see today. Respect to all those greats. I know Luka, Jokic and many other players today are going to have their legacies and statistically will be better than Bird, but they are all missing one thing that they cannot replicate or be better at than Larry Legend. Supreme trash talking. The ability to tell you what he's gonna do, go do it while he's telling you what he's doing and then say "I told you so."
Larry Bird would have a been a superstar now matter what team he was on. His ability to force all of his teammates to be better was amazing. I base this off of his passes. Somehow his teammates almost always knew when it was coming to them on a level that shouldn't have been possible. Any top ten NBA player of all time would have been even better with Bird on the team.
Jokic and rheumatologist the rest of them can’t do what bird could do. Overall!!! Anything you see on Jokic is all offensive nothing defensive. That’s how it is now. You have shooters, dunkers, passers, defenders. Not one can consistently do it all.
Jokic holds his own on defense. I can't name many players who cooked him while being on offense. We have to start to accept that Jokic will be a top 10 basketball player of all time when he hangs it up.
I'm from PENNSYLVANIA and I watched the Sixers and Harlem Globetrotters and we're more baseball and football but the games I watched at the ARENA were awesome and I was a little girl awesome memories with history Pete Rose and the Eagles and Steelers
How about the greatest basketball announcer of all time.. chick Hearn. Created much of the terminology that it is used in basketball every day. Chick Hearn is the goat! It’s a slam dunk!!! (A term he created!!)
If you haven’t yet watched A Courtship of Rivals documentaty, I suggest you watch it if not react to it. I’m a Magic man, saw him play in the 80s in person. Hated Bird. That doc and all these videos of hall of famers singing his praises, the two of them are at least tied for me. I think that’s where it should he left on these lists. They are inseparable. If you’ve got Magic as number three or number four, just put Bird in the same spot a tie. That’s where it’s at in my head. I’ll go even go a step further, I think the Celtics should have Magic’s jersey in the rafters, and the Lakers should have Bird’s jersey in the rafters. I know that is blasphemous to some, but if you know you know.
I'll take a prime Larry Bird over a prime LeBron any day. Bird wasn't afraid to take the last shot of the game, he thrived on it.
I'll take a prime Larry Bird over anybody, anytime.
Bird is a legend
My wife was always a Bird fan. She says she became a fan of Magic, MJ, Kobe, and Labron but Bird will always be her #1.
I can respect that everyone have their right to root for who they want to root for. As of late, I've become a big fan of Larry Bird. I've always liked him, but after hearing his story I can relate to him
There will never ever ever be another Larry Bird...🏀🐐...no truer words ever spoken
With evolution, there will be a better version of Larry Bird one day. He's the original, but the game will continue to grow
Luca and Joker have elements of Bird’s game. But neither one of them have the most important trait! Larry Bird was a cold blooded killer when his team needed it the most! Best example of this was in the 88 Easter Conf Div game 7 against the Hawks. Both of his Achilles were killing him, but he found a way to go out there and carry his team on his back in the 4th quarter to win!
Yes, there are players with elements of Bird's game. I've seen Jokic live and the influence is obvious.
But there will never be the same combination of Bird's intellect, personality, humor and hubris, toughness, skills, size, upbringing, work ethic, Indiana basketball culture, and the affect of his father's life and suicide. There will probably never be another skinny white, poor kid who grown black men taught to talk trash and play street ball.
Who else could face the humiliation of leaving IU (you blew it, Bobby), then bounce back from pushing a broom and hauling trash to the cover of Sports Illustrated, an NCAA final, and a storied career with the Celtics?
Earvin isn't talking about Larry Joe Bird, the Legend. He's talking about his friend, the man.
Magic was right. There will never be another Larry Bird.
@@jonathan031795 The guys you mentioned to being Larry Bird are not as good as Larry they have Larry traits but they are not all around great players Larry did it all they don't do it all and they don't have the basketball IQ that Larry has there was no cap in Magic's statement
There will never be another Larry Bird because none of the current players will ever have to deal with the physicality of that era. Watch a few minutes of “The Bad Boy Pistons” to get a feel of what Bird and Jordan had to deal with, no comparison.
RIP Bill Walton 🙏🏼😢
The best college player i ever saw. And i'm old af.
Didnt know he died....
😭😭😭
Bill is a legend.
May he rest in peace
DANGIT....I didn't know he passed....such a loss to the NBA community.....
F
Rip
Magic and Bird are the winningest 2 players in NBA history, #1 and #2 respectively... essentially tied.
Dude when you are playing the top 1% of players and tell them what you are going to do and still do it …. Goat
Bird is a top 3 player ever. Period. If you look at it objectively you can’t name more than 2-3 guys that affected their team as much as he did
Rip Bill Walton. He was absolutely one of my favorites and one of the best!
Forgot. Bill Walton passed away today. One of my favorites back the day. RIP, Big Red.
RIP Bill Walton! 🙏😢
RIP to big red. This video was actually recorded on Sunday, 5/26/24 that's why I didn't mention it in the video
Man, I'm 50 and grew up being a huge Bird fan and there was nothing better than watching Magic vs Bird with my Dad! I was shocked when I first saw people reacting to Larry on RUclips and still people saying he was un-athletic? He passed like a point guard, shot like a shooting guard, played forward or small forward or even center and out rebounded the league leaders a lot of the time and shot like a dagger from 3 at 6-foot 9"! Had his back held up I would like to have seen where he would stand!!
Here is a statistic most people don't realize about Larry Bird
Bird averaged more defensive rebounds per game than (and this is just a small sample):
Shaquille O'Neal
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Moses Malone
Karl Malone
Charles Barkley
David Robinson
Hakeem Olajuwon
Ralph Sampson
Patrick Ewing
Kevin Durant
Dikembe Mutumbo
For perspective, a lot of those players actually played until they were shells of themselves, leading to poor stats at the end of their careers. To be fair you must look at the peaks. You're not about to tell me that Larry Bird is a better defender than Moses Malone
@@jonathan031795 For perspective - the same thing can be said of Bird. IF you look at his rebounding stats before and after he injured his back. As for Moses Malone vs Bird and who is the better defender - let me ask you a question - why is Malone a better defender than Bird?
Bird said Moses Malone had a second jump when he rebounded that he didn't have. Bird always gave props for his competitors and told it like it was. Another reason Bird is my favorite player of all time.
@@jonathan031795after 1985 Bird had destroyed his back fixing his mothers driveway, he didn’t trust anyone else to do it correctly. With a broken back he proceeded to torch everyone in the league for another 7 years. He won the three three point contests after he injured his back and won his third ring.
@@jonathan031795Larry injured his back, and played for another 7 years. Let that sink in. Do you think LBJ, KD, Steph, or any other players today would continue to play for 7 years with a back that was like Larry Birds. Bird had 6 healthy seasons.
Never be another Larry Bird. It's not just his skill sets. You can't compare another to Larry when it comes to trash talking, attitude, work ethic, hustle, team oriented play, toughness, and leadership. Joker and Luka don't have all that. That's why my top 3 players are MJ, Bird, Kobe. They were all tough, straight killers, heart of a Lion, and competitive psychopaths.
I can respect that take. But I love me some Luka and Jokic. They'll trash talk you in another language and in English. Like Drazen Petrovic used to do
@@jonathan031795 yes but you would have to combine both of their skills and kobe's heart to equal bird. Watching Luka I believe bird would probably average 5 more points a game in today's NBA
Some people may play a little like Larry but no one is the full package like larry
Luka+Jokic+Dirk=Larry Bird. Maybe.
? I believe
You have to watch those guys and appreciate their greatness. They are generational players as well
@@jonathan031795has any of them won 3 MVPs in a row? Bird is the third and last person to accomplish this. Took a team with a horrible win/loss record to the playoffs his rookie year and that is why he won Rookie of the Year. LeBron James has as his top 3: Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlin and Larry Bird
@@andrewft31OR, "ONE" steal away from a QUADRUPLE DOUBLE, in the THIRD QUARTER, but took his own self out the game! Very short list of quadruple doubles EVER. Lol
@@jonathan031795 Sure, just not dominant like Larry.
RIP Bill Walton❤❤❤❤
Not only was Bird the third player (and the only forward) to make MVP 3 times in a row but In a 9-year run from 1980 to 1989, Larry Bird got 67% of all MVP votes that were cast. All other players combined only received 33% of the votes. in an era that included the players who eventually made up the dream team and a large list of HOF players.
And one year he didn’t play
Magic was right in saying that they're would "never ever be' another Larry Bird. It was real and contextual.
I've watched NBA just on tapes way longer that most. I started watching on reels about the stars of the 60's and 70's at the USIS in our city in the Philippines. I was a basketball player myself and privileged to be able to watch those reels in that building. I remember those players Gail Goodrich, Elvin Hayes, Pistol Pete, Monty Towe, Thompson, etc, long forgotten names. The technology transitioned to Betamax tapes for rent, and then DVD, and parabolic satellite antenna where we now in the third world country can watch NBA championship games live. Finally, we now have cable TV and watch games live for years. I've watched all them during their college days and in the NBA. My idol was Bill Walton of the UCLA Walton gang for awhile until the name Larry Bird stated appearing in some sports magazines. Then i saw him play. He was just awesome. Complete player and always a winner. There are many legends in the game but that is the word legend in a generic sense. Larry owns that title simply because he is the best by far. Larry Legend.
Don't care who you're top five is son! I lived to witness birds greatness! If he isn't in the top 3 of all time then you just know!!!
To each his own. The only thing I have to go off of is his highlights and stats.
@@jonathan031795with players like Bird and Magic you can’t go by stats, they were about winning not scoring, if someone else was able to score Bird and Magic made sure they got the ball.
Notice when Bird plays he doesn’t hesitate to pass to Parish or McHale or Johnson to Kareem or Byron Scott. If Bird and Magic were ball hogs they would have higher number of points but that isn’t how they approached the game.
@@jonathan031795His stats are the third highest in the NBA 43.7, I believe. Sir, you need to watch some actual Larry Bird games. I can’t understand or agree with any of your opinions and I watched basketball until Kobe was pretty much done. I’m also a Lakers fan, but I recognized Bird was something else, right away. I was mad that he wasn’t on our team! I was six, and didn’t get loyalty or any of that. I just knew he was a spectacular player to watch. He controlled the court like no one else could, then or now. No other player influenced the game without holding the ball. He was everywhere on the court, assisting, stealing, rebounding, and scoring. He was the absolute best clutch player. Badass Kobe played on a sprained ankle, remember? Can you imagine how much that hurt? Bird played with a broken thumb and finger; a two inch cut between his big toe and next one, for an infection to drain; a broken spine; two Achilles’ tendon injuries; and still managed to be as amazing as he was! He’s also a phenomenal passer, which none of the guys you’re mentioning come close to comparing to. Not to mention, everyone of the young bucks that have come after Larry, had the advantage of studying, and learning from him. That’s a major privilege Larry didn’t have. You simply don’t have enough data in front of you to be making such accusations and convictions, IMO.
@@andrewft31 truer words were never spoken.
"MJ said Luka and Joker are great but they are by no means Larry Bird." Every player that played against Bird says the same thing whether they loved it or hated him. Jordan said it best when he was asked about playing Bird. "He wasn't that athletic, didn't jump that high,run that fast. But his mind for the game was so great it made up for it. Therefore Larry Bird has no flaws."
"I fear no one but Larry Bird, because if you keep it close he's gonna win that game." Magic Johnson
I expect nothing less from Magic, who is Bird's biggest fan
@@jonathan031795 hmmm, now it comes out.
Rip mvp OG Bill Walton
dude this is another take on a lot of these famous plays .. so cool. thanks for finding this one
Bird, MJ, Magic, Kobe, Wilt - My starting lineup
Only I would take Dominic over kobe
RIP Bill Walton
There’s a 4 part series called The Complete Collection of Larry Bird Stories that I think supplied some of this footage
I'll have to look into that 4 part series
Yes, this is one of the better compilations, for sure.
I read somewhere that Bird had Bron's passing, KD's midrange shooting touch, Curry's long range and free throw accuracy, Jokers rebounding skills, Kobe and MJ's killer will, and more clutch than any player in history! It should say they have Birds.
Magic is a better passer. All of those players named were arguably better in each of those traits. I would say that Bird is the 2nd greatest " all-around " player of all time behind LeBron, in my opinion
@@jonathan031795 I'm from Cleveland and I'm grateful to Lebron for the Championship he helped bring to the Cavs. I can't give the goat title to him, in my opinion players that jump from team to team like KD and Lebron as well as others to form super teams in order to win titles can't be considered the goat. Can you imagine how many titles would have been won if MJ, Bird and Magic would have formed a super team. Their thought process was I want to Beat the best not join them.
@@jonathan031795 Bird behind LeBron? Bird knew how to win and how to lift his teammates to give their best. Bird was selfless and a great leader. He excelled in the clutch. LeBron exhibits none of those traits.
Yes, I agree that this was well worth watching. Good to see you back.
It's great to be back! I missed engaging with y'all. Thank you for sticking around
It's all about timing. Magic and Larry Literally saved the NBA
I forgot this one - during his career Bird led the NBA in defensive win shares 4 times.
IF you add together the number of times Jordan and LeBron have done that - you get ZERO
Bird had a better supporting cast. Defensive win shares it, not an individual stat. It will only go to players that's on the best defensive teams. Dennis Johnson, Ainge, Parish and McHale were all solid defenders. Dennis Johnson is one of the best lane defenders in NBA History
@@jonathan031795 Since when is DFS not an individual stat? If it was a team stat then all players on the team would have a similar DFS and that is not true.
If all the legends that played against him called him the greatest, who are we to argue?
Thats just how I see it, do we really have any authority to say they are wrong?
They all universally picked Bird.
There's no argument from my side. That's just my list. A lot of the great players exclude themselves from their Top 10 list.
@@jonathan031795 Your right, of course they exclude themselves. But we have to ask who do they all name as being the best? They all have one name on their lips, no?
True! That’s a very good point you’ve brought up, well said!
@@Wardr0p The answer, of course, is Larry Bird. The 'exclude themselves' argument is a red herring.
Man I love that mutual respect that magic and Byrd have.
Reminds me Volkanovski and Halloway in the UFC. Beautiful to see.
I think the "I get a charge when I tell someone on the opposing team that I'm gonna hit the last second shot then do it. That's what it's all about." clip is the most honest and defining moment of Larry Bird. That is at his heart of his game. It seems genuine and you can see that's his drive and love of the game.
I don't see Luka or Jokic repeating Larry's path. 3 time consecutive MVP. (not even Jordan or Lebron could do this). Finished 2nd in MVP voting for 70% of the rest of his career. Neither of them have the clutch factor of Bird.
Hiatus then drops a larry bird video. well played
But did you like it?
Watch Bird is the word- 15 minutes of Larry Legend. You'll see footage that you won't find anywhere else.
I'm definitely gonna check it out. I'm just concerned with Copyright claims
Greatest overall player ever.
Magic and Bird changed the game and saved it.
If you know, you know. A basketball genius. He isn't called a Legend for no reason.
Luka is offensively kinda close to Bird. Defensively it's not a question. Bird is way ahead.
When Magic got sick Larry was there for him 100%. They are brothers to the bone to this day!
Enjoyed your reaction 😊 For me Larry Bird's trash talking, either broke a player down, or forced an opponent to be a better player, & it was the strength of the player, which way they were affected.......that was just a part of who Bird was 😊 I agree with your comparisons as well......My Dad and I have watched Larry since the 70's, and the only players that came close to his style in our opinions, are also, Jokic & Luka.
I'm a GenX, andhave seen those Celtics... ask anyone from New England, Bird is the GOAT..
Sad to here unfortunately Larry Legends former Celtic team mate the great Bill Walton passed away RIP.
❤🙏😢
I do not have Kobe in my top five but will not dispute anyone that does. One of my all time favorites as well. He was definitely very special. Wrote a poem about him when he passed
The thing is you have Luka and Joker who can do some of things Bird could do but neither of them can do everything Bird could do.
For 4 straight seasons over 300 games 84-88 Bird averaged a 50/40/90 with just over 28 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists per game. It's a ridiculous stat line that no one can match across the board and even the few that can match some of it, don't even come remotely close to doing it for over 300 games straight.
You can't even find players that can play 300 games over 4 straight seasons today let alone maintain anything close to those stats.
Facts
God Bless Boston 🍀... Bird, Kevin and Robert 🏆🏆🏆...I never knew what basketball greatness was till I saw Bird and Magic play 🪄✨... Highest basketball IQ's I ever seen
What everybody doesn’t realize about Larry Bird’s trash talk is, Larry’s trash talk wasn’t obnoxious and flagrant. His trash talk was to get in his opponent’s head. Look at all the other trash talk guys, they are stupid obnoxious and stupid. Larry Bird played every game 150% every game. NOT ONE NBA PLAYER TODAY DOES THAT.
this is the best set-up visually i ever seen. thank you!
Dude you comparing Luka and Halliburton to Bird??? You shouldn’t be allowed to talk about basketball anymore
Lol!!!
RIP BILL.
🙏❤😢
Bird had control of the coach long before the princess ever did. Bird would make the princess cry
Did you ever do his ultimate mixtape? Had a look and can't find it if you did... if you didn't, you should 🤷♂️
Me and my brother actually reacted to that video. It was a great mixtape
@@jonathan031795 post a link?
After 78 -79 college season, bird and magic played on same team in wit classic. They say that team won unbelievable.
1ST CONDOLENCES TO MR. WALTONS LOVED ONES.
R.I.P. BILL
2ND THESE PLAYERS ONLY HAVE PIECES OF ASPECTS OF BIRD's GAME.
NOWHERE NEAR BIRD.
KEEP DIGG'N THO,
YOUVE ONLY FELT THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF HOW COLD LARRY BIRD, WAS, IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE.
LARRY AT A PACERS PRACTICE .. LANCE STEPHENSON SAID: THE TEAM IS STRETCHING AND LARRY WALKS ONTO THE COURT, GRABS A BALL AND STARTS JACKING 3's, SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH. ATLEAST 10 IN A ROW, AND SITS BACK DOWN LIKE HE DIDNT DO ANYTHING. MIND YOU LARRY BIRD WAS 60 AT THE TIME !
LEGEND !!!
'Bird is the word' is a video that has a lot of video not seen in other clips.
I definitely have to check it out. I'm just concerned about copyright claims
Larry Bird top 3 for sure
Damn, that backhanded pass at the Indiana state game is almost not humanly possible.
Wherever he falls on your list, there were many nights when Larry Bird was the best basketball player on the planet. He was just that good.
Welcome back! Hope you're doing well... Love your reactions
Magic and Bird are very close friends now. Bird, Magic and Jordan became close.
Competition does that. Once you're past it you can appreciate the player that pushed you to new heights
Met Larry Bird at the Dolphin hotel at Disney World in 97…entered the elevator late at night, 11pm, and there he was, Larry Legend…I nervously asked, “sir, are you Larry Bird?”..he goes, “well son the last time I checked I was”…I asked him to sign the receipt I had in my pocket from the restaurant at the hotel and he said, “only if you give me some of that ice cream “…I went to hand it to him and he laughed and said he was joking, I was 13 btw…he couldn’t of been any cooler and the dude is tall as hell…felt like he was almost 7 ft…he’s not but it seemed like it to a young teen me…next day I met Phil Jackson, Rodman, Ewing, and John Stockton who were all there for a Gatorade charity event that weekend…Phil Jackson actually paid for my family’s cab fare…he was waiting for a cab and saw us standing there and offered it then handed my pops a $100 bill which my pops tried refusing but he insisted..very nice dude as well…they all were…Rodman was pretty damn impressive in person too
Larry Bird was Larry Bird and there will be another Larry Bird , have you ever seen Luka or the other players you mentioned told the other team what what they were going to do and then do it , no I didn't think so , Larry Bird was the Master
It is so fun to see Larry Bird playing in his high school and college, because his play didn't really change much. He just got more accurate as time went on. He was the catalyst and driving force in those teams. It killed him when his college team was beaten by MSU & Magic Johnson. They double and triple teamed Larry and because his team depended on his scoring and passing to score, they lost. Even though Illinois State was a 30-0 team, it pretty much depended on him. From that day forward, he was determined to beat the Lakers.
Now Magic was unhappy because he lost ROY to Larry. So from then on both Larry and Magic kept track of what the other was doing and how they were playing, driving themselves to practice more because they thought that is what the other one was doing. Determined to even the score.
Stay strong! Prayers from Georgia for you on all fronts!!!
Grew up in Michigan. Got to watch Magic in high-school and at MSU. Was a Pistons fan first, then pulled for the Lakers second because of Magic...Bird is in top 5
Larry and Magic were like ☯️ , they were yin and yang
larry was a pure shooter, 50.40.90. club twice. luka will never be in that class. neither will jokich. luka is like harden he dribbles the air out of the ball. larry usually got the ball from the point guard half way through the play and then he finished the play. joker is way too slow he likes the pick and roll. if no one is open then he has to take a 3 {34 %} or bully his way to the basket. joker is a different kind of player than larry. larry's winning % is 73.8 2nd best of all time. joker will never get close to that, thanks for listening.
Best small forward ever. Larry Legend.
you just dont like him, admit it- he is top 5 and probably the goat
I love Bird. How is being the 6th greatest player of all time an insult
There's some guys out there who learned a lot from Bird's example, definitely.
1000% he set the blueprint for sure
Can any of those guys you mentioned tell the other team what play they are gonna do and then proceed to go out and do it? If not, then they are not another Larry Bird...the trash talking is my guess is what Magic was talking about.
"Don't do that."
😂😂 that part was hilarious. You gotta love Kareem
One of the greatest coach's of the game(Pat Riley)once said "If I have to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan...If I have to choose a player to take a shot to save my life... I'd take Larry Bird!".
Bird was a masterful basketball player. His game is ageless. And in top of that, he is the best trash talker in the history of the game and beyond but he baked up each and every time. To me, he is the Muhammed Ali of basketball.
Listen magic could not shoot the ball like larry bird can and that's a fact 😂
I don't want to burst people's bubble, but the defender had his back to Bird when he knelt/fell into the trainers lap. As a Bird fan, it doesn't matter to me. It was a great move to fulfill his promise. I loved it!
Well, that's how I saw it anyway.
Pretty sure that in the oldest version of the story that I've seen, he clearly says that "in the trainer's lap" meant on that sideline, not literally falling into his lap. I don't think the fall was necessary to fulfill what he'd said, just a story that got garbled by too many tellings over too many years. But I agree the fall looks awkward. I don't think we have the camera angle to tell if it was real or not.
Great video. Larry was one of the greatest ever
You must watch 1987 allstar game..best ever
I'll definitely add that to the list! Thank you for your support
Without Magic Johnson and Larry Bird their would be no NBA, they were dying. Low ratings, low attendance, drugs issues, playoffs would be played after reruns. Bird and Johnson brought attention back to the league and saved it. No Bird and Johnson and you would have no Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant etc… and those players you named that could be similar to Bird, Bird won Rookie of the Year, took a bottom tier team with the worst win/loss record and took them to the playoffs his first season, won a ring his 2nd years, won 3 MVPs in a row, only the third and last person to do this. 0-6 against Jordan in the playoffs.
Love seeing Nolan in this video ❤️🐗🏀
Larry Legend is the G.O.A.T of trash talkers. 😎
You're pretty smooth I'll be watching
Larry says Mike Cooper was his toughest defender
Gary Payton throws compliments around like manhole covers. If HE says Bird is the shit, you’d best put Bird at #2 where he belongs.
As for Luka and Jokic, till they tell the defense what they’re gonna do, then do it, NO COMPARISON!!!
I think you might realize how truly different Larry Bird was if you would watch a few complete games. He was so entertaining and full of surprising moves. He made it fun to watch basketball. Also, remember the NBA when Larry and Magic came into the League and how they helped elevate it by the time they left. They were great, there were great players before them and after them, and there are great players today. Forget the ranking. Give credit where it is due to all the greats.
Realistically, you could put them together. Many people do. Magic and Bird sharing the GOAT slot is acceptable.
But Bird is Better! 🤑
Bird played against too many of the greats. In a much more physical era of basketball. Can you even imagine any of the good teams today trying to play against the old school defense of the Detroit Bad Boys, Or Boston, Or Ewing and the Knicks, Barkley and the 76s The eastern conference in those days was violent
To understand modern basketball, the documentary “Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals” is a must-watch.
Luka and Jokic both
have a long way to go
before their in LARRY
BIRDs realm …
If Jokic wasn't robbed of MVP last year because of voters fatigue, we would be talking about a 4 time MVP winner. I think it's safe to say at this point of his career it's a valid argument.
Both Luka and Jokic don't play with the talent that Bird played with
I can respect your loyalty to the Lakers. Growing up, I was a Celtic fan and loved the rivalry between those two teams. I hated Magic and all the Lakers, but you had to respect them. Now, years later, I actually love Magic and all those Laker greats. The amount of respect that those players had for each other even though it was the most intense rivalry is just something you don't see today. Respect to all those greats. I know Luka, Jokic and many other players today are going to have their legacies and statistically will be better than Bird, but they are all missing one thing that they cannot replicate or be better at than Larry Legend. Supreme trash talking. The ability to tell you what he's gonna do, go do it while he's telling you what he's doing and then say "I told you so."
Kareem was a force. Always hitting shots.
go ahead, make excuses for them putting larry in the top five- HE WAS , is and always will be
To each it's own
Larry Bird would have a been a superstar now matter what team he was on. His ability to force all of his teammates to be better was amazing. I base this off of his passes. Somehow his teammates almost always knew when it was coming to them on a level that shouldn't have been possible.
Any top ten NBA player of all time would have been even better with Bird on the team.
Jokic and rheumatologist the rest of them can’t do what bird could do. Overall!!! Anything you see on Jokic is all offensive nothing defensive. That’s how it is now. You have shooters, dunkers, passers, defenders. Not one can consistently do it all.
Jokic holds his own on defense. I can't name many players who cooked him while being on offense. We have to start to accept that Jokic will be a top 10 basketball player of all time when he hangs it up.
Rebounds, blocks, and steals aren't defensive moves? I've seen Joker😅 play live a few times. He's great all round.
Bird needs to be in your top 3
Three consecutive MVPs, Three
consecutive shooting championships.I rest my case.
I lost a lot of interest in the NBA when Bird retired. Not because of race but it was the level of competition between Magic/Bird(Celtics and Lakets)
Those 2 set a level of competition and rivalry as well as respect/ friendship, I've yet to see ever happening again
You're absolutely right. The closest we got to that was LeBron vs. Curry, but it was too one side. At least with Larry and Magic, they traded blows
I'm from PENNSYLVANIA and I watched the Sixers and Harlem Globetrotters and we're more baseball and football but the games I watched at the ARENA were awesome and I was a little girl awesome memories with history Pete Rose and the Eagles and Steelers
It's totally disrespectful to Larry Legend 😠 those players aren't even on the Legends level.
How about the greatest basketball announcer of all time.. chick Hearn.
Created much of the terminology that it is used in basketball every day.
Chick Hearn is the goat!
It’s a slam dunk!!!
(A term he created!!)
If you haven’t yet watched A Courtship of Rivals documentaty, I suggest you watch it if not react to it. I’m a Magic man, saw him play in the 80s in person. Hated Bird. That doc and all these videos of hall of famers singing his praises, the two of them are at least tied for me. I think that’s where it should he left on these lists. They are inseparable. If you’ve got Magic as number three or number four, just put Bird in the same spot a tie. That’s where it’s at in my head. I’ll go even go a step further, I think the Celtics should have Magic’s jersey in the rafters, and the Lakers should have Bird’s jersey in the rafters. I know that is blasphemous to some, but if you know you know.
Absolutely!
I actually have that series up on the channel! It should be in its own playlist
ruclips.net/p/PLBDHcu-Pb8ZleYpPG-u-rCj8nOStni0aK&si=cCh_5dELu66ybftK
@@jonathan031795 great thanks for the heads-up. I should’ve looked through your videos first. My respect for Larry was tenfold after watching that.