- Larry Bird knew he was great.
It’s why he asked who was coming in second place in the 1987 Three-Point Contest, told bitter rival Magic Johnson he was going to put on a show for him, and confidently reminded a rookie Reggie Miller that he was ‘”the best f****** shooter in the league.”
But even Larry Legend, the supreme shooter and trash talker that he was, knew Michael Jordan was a different animal.
Despite the Boston Celtics legend going 17-11 against ‘His Airness’ during his career, including a perfect 6-0 against the Bulls star in the playoffs, he was fully aware that not even he could hold a candle to Michael’s talents.
The 67-year-old has rarely weighed in on the NBA’s greatest of all time (GOAT) debate.
However, during the NBA 75 campaign video spotlighting No. 23’s storied career, ‘The Hick from French Lick’ admitted he always knew Mike was the greatest.
The reason? The six-time NBA champion had every conceivable tool in the box to beat you with.
“Michael can beat you in a lot of ways,” began Bird. “He can beat you mentally, he can beat you physically, he can guard you, he can score. I know in my time he was better than all of us.”
Bird won three championships, three MVPs and two Finals MVPs in the 1980s as he wrestled for basketball supremacy with Magic Johnson and his ‘Showtime’ Lakers.