Larry Bird is widely seen as one of the best 10-15 NBA players of all time.
That said, Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman once made a shocking statement (about Bird) when he did an interview with with VLADTV a few years ago.
Rodman: "If Larry Bird played in this era, I think he'd be in Europe... He would be somewhere over there. His game was fit for Boston at that time in the 80's... I'm not downplaying him... There's no way. I think the kid from Denver [Jokic] is way better than him."
Many fans at the time were in major disagreement with Rodman's comments (h/t Ball Don't Lie).
Dennis Rodman said Larry Bird would be in Europe if he was playing today...
Wonder if he felt that way when they were going head-to-head 🤨
(via @vladtv) pic.twitter.com/a8BhTkXK1a— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) June 26, 2023
@bulldurham60: "Larry was a complete player. To think he wouldn’t be in the NBA, in any era , is a joke."
@marinjos: "This might be the worst take in the history of bad basketball takes."
@bchawla: "This is ridiculous. Larry would still be Top 5 in today’s game."
Bird had career averages of 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per contest while shooting 49.6% from the field and 37.6% from the three-point range in 897 games.
Over 13 seasons, he won three NBA Championships (and three MVPs).
