If Larry played in todays NBA, half the league would need a personal mental therapist

Saying Bird wouldn’t dominate in today’s NBA is such an L take. He literally started the 50-40-90 club.

Larry Bird is my number 3 all time. I'll defend that all day. Only injuries cut him short but he still had the mvp's and the rings.

Two or three generations from now the fans will trash Jokic and Luka and claim they couldn’t play in that era

Actually, BIRD did pass the eye test if you really understand the game. Was blessed to see him 85 times as a young kid with my Dad’s seasons tickets from the floor. Some of his brilliance happened during warm ups & shoot arounds. For example, I recall him giving an interview while shooting free throws before a game. He was shooting lefty. He hit 37 in a row before the interview stopped. While he was doing it, he would look over at the group of young kids and their parents smiling, knowing he was putting on a show. As for shooting, overall ? I saw him hit many logo 3’s if you went in early for shoot around. Simply put, he would Smoke the league today 😊

Larry Legend would dominate any era. Work ethic is the key word. While healthy, he would just adapt and do what's necessary to get that W. And shoot the lights out, of course. Announcing it. You know the stories...

Bird would easily average 32/8/5 on 40% from 3 if he were to play today 😂

Larry Bird's career vs Lebron's career is a classic example of 'Quality over Quantity'

They put up that stupid stat of LeBron having more points in his career than magic and bird combined as if that’s supposed to mean something, he played way more seasons. Didn’t Bird and Magic stop playing at 12 seasons? And magic wasn’t even scoring 20 points a game usually! What’s really important is the winning that Magic and Bird did while they played. They had a much bigger impact on the game in my opinion.

0:34 Nate Robinson who is 5'9 blocked Lebron James' shot, so I don't want to hear how great he is.

Gen Z NBA Twitter say NBA players back then wouldn’t be able to play today because their slow and unathletic yet you got players like Jokic bussin everybody ass😂😂

Jokic can play, understands the game and has the will to win as a team player. Like bird.

What people don’t take into account is… Bird (and MJ and Kobe et.c) if dropped into a new era IF they found people were better than them they would GRIND until their average was on par with the best. The elite just don’t quit. That’s why they’re called legends.

Longevity is overrated, because these new players take 10 years to accomplish anything. LEGENDS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS IMMEDIATELY!

Larry would DESTROY TODAY NBA. Larry dived for basketballs. Thats is why he was injured. You NEVER see any top players today diving for basketballs.

Larry was a ruthless assassin. He and Magic had the greatest rivalry in sports. MAGIC jOHNSON AND LARRY BIRD: A COURTSHIP OF RIVALS. A 2010 documentary on their rivalry is brilliant. It's here on YT. Highly recommended. 👍

Bird was the greatest all around player to ever play. He is #1 to me a millions of other's. All people see today are the same clips over and over. Watching Bird play the games is when you understand his greatness. He had all the intangibles that don't show up in the Stat Book, except the win Stat. His fakes where a thing of beauty. Bird is one of maybe with John Stockton the only player that could beat you without having the ball. He constantly moved and his stamina was uncanny. Today's player just runs to the 3 point line and you have four players sitting still waiting on the one guy to pass the ball. Bird played i injured and he was still remarkable. When you hear what he went through he was the toughest player to ever play. His Will was unmatched until Jordan got a couple of years under his belt. Those player's in the Eighties played to win and they played with blood on their uniforms. The game today is like another Sport compared to the NBA in the Eighties. It is boring.

Skill, IQ, and desire are what make a player great, athleticism is a part of it, but its smaller than how far those three things can get you. Larry bird had them in spades.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson would DESTROY players today.

Larry and Magic won a combined 9 NBA titles. In one decade. Why didn't ESPN post that Stat?

This generation has no respect for Larry Bird. The guys is easily one of the greatest of all time.

Larry broke his back. His back was broken. Spinal.

It's pretty obvious why fans would say Bird doesn't pass the "eye test," and it's not because of his playing style....

I spit my food out my mouth when that guy said Bird was garbage! 🤣🤣🤣

Nba is such a diffecult job, only firemen and plumbers can play 82 games

5:50 is my favorite clip ever. It's 4-on-1 guarding him, he makes ONE fake move and they all go off in four different directions away from him like he just blinded them or something.

When they asked Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell who they would pick to start an all-time team, each of them said the other, then both said they'd pick Larry Bird next, because he played the game the "right way", and made all his teammates better.

Bird will always be on my top 5 list

😌 Bird would cook this era, same as he did in his era!

JJ BAREA... JJ BAREA... JJ BAREA... That's all i have to say.

Have had no desire to watch any pro basketball at all until Jokic and Doncic showed up. They have IQs like Bird

Another VERY important fact that is often left out when comparing eras. The 3 point line didn’t exist in when Jordan and Bird played in college. It was introduced in the NBA when Bird was a rookie. They never practiced 3 pointers growing up.

Bird would be soooooo good in todays game

Of course, Bird was winning MVP's averaging 30/10/6 shooting 50/40/90 before flagrant fouls and before they got rid of hand checking ... The toughest most physical era of the NBA and he's as productive as some of the top dudes today...... On top of that underrated defender, finished 3rd in DPOY in 82-83 , 3x all defense, lead the league in defensive win shares 4x, top 10 in defensive box+/- 5x, top 11 in Defensive rating 7x .... He deserved way more All-Defenses than he got

Still amazed that Bird averaged 50-40-90 over 4 consecutive seasons!! Look at the list of the top 10 "goats" and none of them even have one 50-40-90 season. And Bird never practiced the 3 point shot and never had it in high school or in college. Bird if he grew up today ( I believe ) would be even better than Jokic. Thanks for sharing this video.

1:15 Kobe ask Magic about Bird saying the same kind of stuff. I can almost see Magic shake his head saying, "Come here boy. Sit down. Let me tell something ..."

Comparing these pampered kids to guys that had no dieticians, private team flights, shoe deals, trainers and the other annuities is a joke.

Bird would dominate any era, especially now. He can score from anywhere. Better shooter and passer than MJ or Bron.

Birds mental toughness and iq is unmatched. Only mj had that same unbreakable mindset. Bird also the only top 10 baller who is all time great passer,shooter and hustled like rodman. Peak bird is a goat contender, as good as anyone ever played

Larry would have not only dominated more now, but would have stayed healthy (if you could beg him not to dive for everything). Three most insanely competitive players I have watched with my own two eyes were Jordan, Bird and Kobe. Anyone calling Bird "garbage" is someone I'd immediately just walk away from in conversation.

Bird was a beast.

Larry Legend Bird is the one true GOAT and one of the two Saviors of the nba

One of the many great things about growing up in the 1980s was watching guys like Larry Bird play live. I modelled my own game off him as best I could, because I had a similar physique and couldn’t out-muscle the stronger guys. And it worked, too. I never played near this level, but in my circles I had the respect of many who were bigger and more athletic. The body has physical limits, but if you learn to play smart, you can run with almost anyone.

When Bird came to the NBA the 3 Point line was introduced. He was the First Player who had 50 40 90 Seasons. That context is crazy.

Larry Bird without handshaking is scarier than a coco in the closset

Bird was incredible. But the weirdest thing is the idea that he played against non-athletic talent. What the hell are people talking about? The league back then was filled with huge dudes with muscles (p.s. yes, guys also used roids). Yeah, maybe the training advances make today's guys a little more athletic, but playing 82 games a year plus practices is going get anyone's athletic skills buffed up. There's no that much room to grow. Dominique, Jordan, Hakeem, Cooper, Malone, Barkley, Pippen, Rodman = the list of crazy athletes could go on for ever and Bird lit them all up.

Pat Riley’s quote about Bird summed him up the best…”if I need someone to take the last shot to win the game I’ll take Jordan… If I have to choose someone to take a shot to save my life I’d choose Larry Bird!”

Larry the legend, the real GOAT for me. Hails from Madrid, Spain.

Bird will always be in my top 5 Wilt Chamberlain Bill Russell Kareem Magic Bird !

This is actually a really great take for a video... Bird would just be a slightly smaller version with a higher motor... he would be epic

Doesn't fit a great basketball player off the eye-test?! Bird absolutely _crushes_ the eye test. His passing, shooting and playmaking were next level. ...also he was a seriously good defender.

All players back then would be bigger, faster and stronger if they played in the NBA today.

I love this video I've been wondering to myself how Joker plays like Bird for quite some time This man literally said what I was thinking.

Great video!

Bird was just as smart as joker. Bird was a beast.

Larry Bird with this era's defence and the "new juice" from Miami... 30++ ppg. While making the league cry from the trash talk.

ESPN always has insignificant stats. I limit my sports consumption to the actual sport, not the media that follows.

This is a very good video. What is dominating today's NBA? Skill level. Doncic, AD, KD, Curry, Jokic, SGA. Markkanen coming on strong. If you combine it with freaky athleticism, you have Giannis. Bird would flat out dominate the game today. Post game combined with a deadly midrange and outside game. Smarts and toughness second to none. People forget that Bird played his entire NBA career on a permanently bent index finger on his shooting hand. Kobe dislocated his finger, got it popped back in, and continued to play. LeFlop left a game because he got an owie on his pinky!

Current players couldn't play in the 80's or 90's NBA, just due to travelling calls.

What's the song that plays in the background of all of your videos?

Bird was a complete player great rebounder, passer shooter, efficient, decent defender. I do think modern players are better on average than back then, but I think modern fans (you know the ones) grossly exaggerate the skill gap, I just think it’s crazy to think those skills wouldn’t translate to todays game. Especially the efficiency, you can’t fake that.

I agree with Larry Bird on this one: Every 80/90s player thinking they are way better than todays players is a fool.

Larry was the most athletic player ever because the most important muscle on the basketball court is the one between the ears and he had the best ever.

Please don't get me wrong because there are some great players in the league right now, but it simply is a different game in today's NBA, which calls for different skill sets, so I want to start with that on a civil note. I've watched the NBA since the 1960s and I can't imagine what a healthy, prime Wilt Chamberlain would do in today's league. He averaged 50 points per game FOR THE SEASON, the year he scored 100 in one game. There were some incredible teams during the era of the 1980s. The Lakers of the 80s (with Kareem and Magic), the Boston Celtics of the same era (I was a Bucks fan, so I'm way too familiar with them) was one of the greatest teams ever and the '86 Celtics lineup had 5 (FIVE!) players who are in the Hall of Fame. As noted, Bird would dominate in today's league. Another great from that era, Charles Barkley, was asked who was the toughest player he ever went up against and he said Bird was impossible to guard because he was always thinking 2 steps ahead of you (Kareem said the same thing). Dominique Wilkins from the mid 80s was one of my favorite players to watch and he was one of the most athletic players I've seen play. Which brings us to Jordan, who I saw play several times during that team's greatest years. His skill level and competitive nature was off the charts, and he is in my top 3 when the discussion of the GOAT comes up. He broke more ankles than any other player I've ever seen play, and he would simply be unstoppable in the NBA today. He is why the Bulls dominated after they finally assembled a team around him. As mentioned, Kareem and Magic Johnson were also on another level. Moses Malone was one of the greatest low post players of all time and he was a rebounding machine. The Ice Man from the late 70s into the early 80s was great to watch, as was Dr. J. I could go on, but it was how basketball was designed to play back then, and the ball was worked inside to whoever had the best shot. The physical nature of the inside game from that era made important playoff games so entertaining, and not because it looked like a hockey game. It meant you entered the paint at your own risk, which made players who could penetrate during that time so much more special to appreciate. Jordan scored over 60 in one game against Boston during the 86 playoffs and was unstoppable, but the Celtics swept them because they were the more complete team, but it put the NBA on notice of just how special Jordan was. Again, there are some players who could adjust their game to the way it used to be played, but it is simply a different game. I've left so many great players off this list, because I've already written too long of a post, but I encourage today's fans to watch some of the top playoff games from this era. I still watch some NBA, but not with the same anticipation of back when the players who saved this league dominated. Remember, in the late 70s, the NBA playoffs and even the Championship game were actually tape delayed by the major networks for sitcom reruns during prime time and you had to watch them late at night. That's how low the ratings had become before a lot of the key players and teams I mentioned made the NBA great again, and why it is called "The Golden Age of the NBA". Everyone who enjoys basketball owes a debt of gratitude to the teams, star players, and those who promoted the league, back during a time when it was desperately needed and we were rewarded with some of the most entertaining basketball to ever be played.

Larry Legend today would be a HYBRID of Jokic and Luka! He would average a triple double of 30/10/10 if he wanted to and would flirt around averaging a 50/40/90 every season. Remember Larry had those numbers playing with 2 other HOF's and a great Celtics team. Imagine if he played with him as the primary star with other lower class stars now, he would be INSANE.

When I heard you say top 10 I was thinking about it and I put him in my top five and I thought about it again he's probably top three I'm 60 years old watched all his games and I've never seen anybody as clutches still to this day. And he made his teammates better they were all were better because of him he drove teammates to win and be great.

Bird and jokic proved that high IQ with killer mentality is more important than just super athletic

It's hard to argue/not hard to see that defense looks lacking/non-existent, but I think the way offenses spread the floor now absolutely makes it harder

My starting 5 is pg. Magic sg. Jordan sf. Bird pf. Hakeem and center Wilt. Off the bench is, pg. isiah thomas sg. Joe Dumars sf. Scottie Pippen pf. Kareem and Center Bill Russell. Magic, jordan and bird are part of the nba dream team and they even played in the nba all star games together. The players that I mentioned are my nba dream team all in there prime. I'm a detroit pistons fan and michael jordan is my favorite player even during there rivalry. The 2004 detroit pistons are still my favorite team when they try to hold teams under 70 points when they played defense. The modern era is just jacking up 3 pointers too much even early in the shot clock and they are barely any true shot blockers like rasheed wallace, ben wallace, jermaine o'neal, dikembe mutombo etc. Players complain way too much which takes away from the attention of the game and it makes it easier for opposing team to score when a player is busy complaining instead of playing defense and players flopping like fish without water on the basketball. Players are barely being held accountable since there are hardly any coaches like larry brown and mike krzyzewski. Defense barely has any advantages anymore, back in the 90s players could push off when playing on and with defense players could hand check and dictate where they want the offensive player to move. When it comes to defense I get more enjoyment out of the game, with the modern game it's too predictable and boring. I'm more into players playing defense than players playing offense. Defense takes effort just like offense but there is lack of defense due to the rules favoring offense. Hubie brown discusses the games from the past eras compared to how the games are being played now.

Anyone claiming Bird wasn't a boss doesn't know ball

This comes down to a double standard, if the game is constantly evolving and so much better why do must players not even play 82 games? And why do most players get allowed to carry the ball and travel? Theirs not one skill in today's game that's so much better guys back in the 80's and 90's we're not allowed to dribble and carry the same way modern players can it's why Bob cousey looks like he doesn't know to dribble because they were only allowed to go on top of the ball, the game has evolved in jump shooting but it lacks effort on defense it's not bad but it's really just effort and very soft foul calls. The biggest thing is imagine in 20 years they say LeBron couldn't play in that era? Like ohh "LeBron doesn't have a left hand, he can't shoot past 5 ft, he only uses bully ball and running to the rim to score" yk how annoying that would be for bron fans? It would be annoying to me as well even if I'm not a bron fan it's disrespectful the literal top ten greatest players ever couldn't survive today is dumb if people can acknowledge the greatest of this current era would be able to adapt and play well in future eras why do they then turn and say 80's and 90's all time greats wouldnt be as good today.

Speaking of midrange being wide open all day, i see so many guys in today’s game have an easy pullup from 12-15 ft (ft and in), and they instead choose to force a contested layup only to miss or get rejected and beg for a foul. If they just got to a spot like MJ, Kobe, Bird, and others, they would easily get to 25-30 ppg, but they can’t do what they don’t work on.

Larry Bird’s basketball IQ is more than your current top nba players’ combined.

I also think even for his prime he was underrated. No, he is not the best defensive player ever, but he was a good defender overall. He was on three all-d second teams. He was tall, great rebounder, good at stealing the ball, smart to understand what opponents were doing, etc. Aside from quick smaller players that could sprint away from him, he was a great defensive option. Definitely NOT a liability. So he is an offensive juggernaut with a good (not great) defensive package

10 years in the 4 major sports: BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, BASEBALL, AND SOCCER. is a plus. Barring injuries 💯

Larry bird is a bad bad white boy. The kind of player with a killermentality and definitely a skill player

Wow. All these years I didn't know the 3 second rule didn't apply to defensive players. I thought it's always been a rule for both offense and defense. Wow. Thats a great point.

In today’s NBA no one knows what an offensive rebound is.

Yo my guy what’s a good way of contacting you? I’d like to talk about you possibly coming on my podcast at some point if you’d be interested

Had a guy on instagram say he csn name 20 players better than Larry. The cluelessness and disrespect is beyond belief

The only stats that need to be considered are Career per Game Stats and Accolades. The fact that the more you play the lower your Career per Game Stats drop should cancel out any bump you would get from Career Totals.

Doesn’t really matter what people think. I know what I saw and Bird was the best small forward ever.

Personally, I wish they would move the 3 second rule to a 5 second rule (I don't think they should be able to camp out for 24 seconds or longer in the paint, but I think it needs to be moved to 5 seconds to allow for better defensive set ups) and bring back hand checking. Give the defense more time and make the offense have to be creative again when it comes to scoring. Nobody is out there doing the kinds of things Bird, Magic, Jordan, Wilkins, Dr.J., Kareem, Duncan, Kobe, Iverson, Olajawon or Shaq were doing during their playing careers. Require 2 years of college ball, and encourage high school coaches and middle school coaches to teach the fundamentals. Also, get rid of the damn AAU if it can't be encouraging teamwork and fundamentals. There is a reason European players studied guys like Bird, Magic and Kareem and could give a damn about what Ja Morant does. Ja is incredibly gifted, but aside from the stupidity he has done, the thing holding him back from ascending to the very top is that his fundamentals aren't that great. He could easily be as athletic as Jordan, but Jordan also had good fundamentals in his play to go with that assassin mentality. Something I don't think most of the modern players have. They take for granted what it took decades to build off of the all time greats. There are plenty of guys who if the NBA held a lockout this summer, they could bring in as replacement players and have a better, more entertaining product. I bet 2 million for those guys each for a year and making the players sit out for a full season would make a difference. Maybe some of these jokers might actually take the game seriously and remember that a legacy and brand is earned. It isn't a given.

The game isn’t all about scoring. There are so many more aspects to the game that contribute to making a player great.

What really strikes me about that image is that LaBron has 4 (3.5?) championships and Bird and Johnson have 8. And those two did it in half the amount of time it's taken LaBron.

Maybe what we’re seeing is some NBA players are true GAMERS while others are just athletes. There’s a difference to those things.

I’ve been saying this for years. Prime Larry Bird is better than EVERY player alive today, including LeFraud James.

After 1976 NBA-ABA Merger increased team talent density, I value Chips, Finals & Finals MVPs over 1st & 2nd Place Season MVP vote shares because they are completely subjective with no criterior. However, I do acknowledge Bird's greatness with 7 1st & 2nd Place Season MVP vote shares compared to 5 by Magic. Both also played on great teams during their peak.

Larry made some of the greatest 80s players look like they were fresh out of college. He would make many of todays players look like they never picked up a basketball. Even in his prime there were all these players and fans saying “Bird is nothing.” “He’s slow” “He’s not athletic” “He’s got no style” “If he were black he’d just be another half decent player.” But after they played him, or after their heroes played him, you didn’t hear that shit anymore. All you saw were broken men at a time when basketball was played by tough guys. If you put these modern players against the kind of beasts that were playing in the days of those Celtics or those Pistons, they would be crying like little babies.

As that famous philosopher said. Woop damn do!😂

Exactly, and one reason LeBron--forget the KG controversy for a moment--has been able to continue to produce is because he keeps working on his skillset and adding elements to his game. Sure, he does not completely renovate anything, but look at his shot charts over the years, or the way he also had to figure out who he needed to be when he went to Miami. As many problems as I have with Bron, not one of them has to do with his actual play on the court--aside from the questionable calls and pouting. My issue with LeBron is the PUSH to have him recognized as the GOAT since basically his 7th year in the NBA when he had not even won a chip. What did he do other than joining a superteam and losing to Dallas in 2011? He WORKED ON HIS SKILLSET regardless of how athletically gifted he was 3:41

WE DONE WITH DA 90's

The spacing alone now. That they allow. Would make Bird even more dangerous.

1:51 that was a carry over the shoulder😂...refs suck😂😂

If leBron’s the GOAT, then so is Hank Aaron. Nobody has ever accused Hank of even being the best at his own position. Longevity.

Larry Bird is basically a better shooting version of Luka. If Luka is going 33-9-8 imagine what Bird would do in today’s NBA. Throughout Bird’s NBA career he only didn’t finish top 5 in MVP voting twice: His rookie year and his final year which was completely plagued by injury. With Bird’s shooting ability, his vision/passing skills, his superior height at 6’10” and his shot and the amount of 3s taken in today’s NBA I wouldn’t put it past him to have multiple seasons of averaging a 35 point triple double. Again; for those who don’t know, Bird is basically a taller Luka who played in the NBA when no one shot triples. If Bird played in today’s NBA taking 7-10 3s a game he would lead the league in scoring.

Larry has more grit, drive, and Bball IQ in his jock strap than the entire modern league minus Jokic and Luka

Bird grew up playing with nothing but blacks. He maximized his gifts by sharpening his swords against more athletic players. HE'S ONE OF THE BEST TRASH TALKERS IN NBA HISTORY! WHERE DO YOU THINK HE GOT THAT FROM?

I just want to point something out in comparison of both of these 2 players just to show how alike they are but also giving praise to both of them as well! But also to prove that Larry legend would dominate the game today just like he would in the 80s if not even more so. Larry bird is 6’9 he’s a big dude jokic is 6’11 both of them are actually similar in height only bird plays small and power forward jokic plays center. Now onto passing and play style, bird and jokic are both amazing amazing high iq passers they are completely equal in that and both are absolutely magical passers and have amazing vision on the court. Not only that but both of them do a majority of their work out of the low post and are great post players, but I’d say jokic is better in the post than bird is only slightly because jokic is much wider and stronger and still keeps all the footwork and can put up great hook shots. However when it comes to shooting and mid range shooting I think bird has jokic beat in that category, bird is just a better shooter and more efficient shooter than jokic which is saying a lot because jokic is by no means a bad shooter at all. But bird has had multiple 50/40/90 seasons and was always putting up 25-35 points a night while being that efficient. Rebounding they are both actually surprisingly equal at in my opinion. Rebounding is something bird was very underrated at in his game but he averaged around 10 rebounds for a career which people forget. Bird was a big hustle player, and he always went after a loose ball jokic is a great rebounder as well though so I think he gets a slight edge there as well. Defense, now this is where some might disagree and I’ll try to prove my point. Bird is a much better defender than jokic is, jokic is a great player but bird plays better defense and it’s also a very underrated part of his game people forget about. Bird always got steals and blocks, in fact he had a game where in the start of the 4th quarter he had 9 steals, he could’ve easily gotten a quadruple double that game but sat on the bench instead. He was a great defender. Now toughness Larry also has jokic beat which is obvious as well. But at the end of the day they are both incredible players, I just thought I’d point out my thoughts and share how I see the comparison. But yeah my opinion bird would definitely torch the league today.

2:29-2:55 , Anthony Davis is a great athlete... ... Who spent more time on the injured list than playing basketball. Carries the monicker " Street Clothes" btw, from someone who played in exactly the most physical era in the NBA's history . Jokic is a GOAT in the making, hope he can keep the pace up.