NBA Legends And Player Talk About How Unreal Larry Bird Actually Was 

Laker forward James Worthy, who Larry Bird caused more sleepness nights than anyone can imagine, in a single sentence once described Bird very eloquently: "Michael Jordan made you look slow. Larry Bird made you look stupid."

Today's game would be too easy for Larry, he'd have to play every game left-handed just to make it fair. 🏀

The great thing about Larry and Irvin is that if you asked each of them who was better, they'd both say the other guy. Pure class. Both of them.

Larry totally dominated the entire NBA for 9 years in every aspect of the game. One of the all time greatest defensive players ever who led the league in defensive win shares 4 times, the same number as Hakeem. ROY and 4th in MVP then 8 straight years of finishing 1st or 2nd. It wasn't just 3 MVPs in a row and he won that 3rd MVP and then finished 2nd twice AFTER he broke a bone in his back. Best shooter ever, best passer ever, most clutch performer ever, and all while playing in the toughest era in NBA history.

Founding member of the 50/40/90 club and did it twice. ROY, 3 straight MVP, coach of the year and executive of the year. Impressive to say the least

In my opinion Larry Joe Bird is the greatest all-around Basketball player of all time. Put another way, Larry is the Willie Mays of Basketball. There is nor has there ever been the equal of either man within their sport. Everything they did was done at the highest level. They had no weakness. Simply the best ever.

Thanks for sharing man. To say Larry Bird was special was an understatement. There was nothing he couldn't do...and tell you he was going to do it and back it up. Bird was cold!

Bird knew where all of his teammates were on the floor at any given time. That was remarkable given the fluid nature of the game.

Larry just saw the game, as James Worthy said, as a chess game. He was like three moves ahead of anyone else.

Lakers fan here that hated Larry! But damn he was good. He would dominate in today's game. They wouldn't be ready for his aggressive to the hoop game and passing...truth. watching Larry and magic go at it was a rivalry that will always be talked about...legendary stuff

I grew up watching that era, and have always watched from then until now. That era was TOUGH. Today's NBA....and the players....are no match for that era. They have softened the game A LOT over the years. Today's NBA, to me, is almost boring. Bird would turn today's league inside out. He was a BAD MAN. People just don't understand. These highlights just don't tell the whole story. Bird was the guy you DREADED to see get the ball. The guy that you wish someone would just tackle and hold down for the last 30 seconds of the game. The guy that would have you out of your chair, yelling at the TV....yelling at your team "Don't let Bird get the ball". And when he inevitably got the ball, you just knew it was over. He was something else. No one like him before or since. It's like Magic said...."There will never, ever....EVER....be another Larry Bird."

Magic was a smooth and brilliant passer and facilitator, Larry was faking dudes out and throwing dimes just as well, but he was defensively better and was a shooter with range. That’s the total package, he’s tall enough and efficient enough to not need the flashy air.

Larry Bird was way more than just the 3 ball, he did everything great, no weak part of his game!

What made Larry Bird's trash-talking SOOOOO great was he almost always was very relaxed as he talked his trash lol (either that or Larry just didn't give AF). But most athletes (pro or just schoolyard amateur) trash-talkers would talk noise, then get too emotionally charged--like myself--so unless you're busting red-hot shooting on the dude, a guy can end up looking like a chump too :P But with Larry, not only was he relaxed while he was talking his trash, but then he would usually go and do what he said he was gonna do--degree of difficulty be damned!! And as Gary Payton can tell everyone, Larry went after THE greatest players, and he not only didn't give AF who they were, but again, he usually backed up his trash-talking. VERY, VERY unique due when it comes to the GOATS of trash-talking.

And you got to remember there was no three-point line half of his life I'm 58 I grew up in the '80s and I've never seen anyone hit bigger shots in big games since. pure clutch.

His shot at Kent Benson was personal. Benson treated Bird badly during Bird's very brief stint at Indiana U.

LB would avg whatever he thought his team NEEDED from him.

to me, top 5 players all time are Bird, Wilt, Jordan, Magic, and Hakeem/Lebron/Kobe/Duncan/Kareem etc... but at the end of the day, i would start my franchise/team/ lineup, main guy or star with Bird. and i think every other player would feel that fear of him deep down inside that he is the best of the best.

Luka definitely does behave like he’s playing a different game. That’s a confidence and chill that Larry had too.

John Stockton told a Larry Bird story from his rookie year. Larry walked by the bench and said "I feel like.....43 tonight." He took himself out after 3 quarters when he had 43 and the Celtics won by 20+.

The undisputed GOAT of basketball toughness. There is no asterisk next to this.

Bird has 2 inches on Luca and a far better passing, shooting and defensive game. Bird averaged 24 ppg and Luca today with no touching avg 27. I'm confident Larry avg 35 ppg today.

There is country strong and gym strong. Larry Bird was country strong: an underrated aspect.

I'm in my mid 50's and from MA and lucky enough to watch every game Larry played as a Celtic, even live a few times. Everybody talks about the players now, Bird isn't as good, you look at the teams he played against. You didn't have a few teams with all star lineups, you had teams of Hall of Famers. The game as tough and physical. Your analysis of how Bird got the upper hand by knowing how each player would react was spot on. Problem was Larry had too many tools, you try to stop the shot, he'd pass, try to stop the pass, he'd step back and shoot it over you. It forced guys to commit and he took advantage of that. You see that crazy thing he fakes passing three times as he spins around and gets guys running all over the place. That's because all his teammates are spread out, this time he shoots, but guess what next time he's gonna pass, or is he? That is what made Bird, Bird. As a Celtic fan I had hatred for Lakers, Rockets, Knicks, Blazers, 76ers, Pistons,etc and of course the Lakers. But you had to respect the talent on those teams. I mean Lakers with Kareem, Worthy and Rambis, Scott and Magic? 76ers, DrJ, Barkley, Cheeks, Malone, Toney. Hawks with Johnson, Rivers, Rollins, Wilkins and Williams. I could go on and on. That era of basketball was one of the most competitive and amazing to watch. It's great to see the younger generation see how incredible the sport was then

I watch a lot of you and I'm glad you giving Larry Bird recognition because yes he would dominate in this era he was a hellacious player

First of all, Bird and Steph only have the 3-ball in common. Bird averaged 10 boards a game for his career and was blessed with the Magic Johnson passing gene

Larry was the best all-around player and IQ he's definitely a top five all time

😈Why would Rodney Rogers think it was a good idea to trash talk Larry like that?? "You ain't hit a jumper since '84!" LOL

They dont just know what theyre gonna do, they have contingency plans. They play it like chess. I move here, if he goes left Ill do this, if he goes right, Ill do this, if he stays put Ill do this. There are three or four backup moves in case the first movie is countered. Youd literally need to quadruple team Larry to neutralize him. Which is basically what the Spartans did when the beat Indiana in 79.

I have to say that I love Rodman’s assessment of Larry Bird! He was the best defender in the League and he recounts how tough it was to guard Bird.

The gloves praise of Larry Bird is just straight up respect.

Isiah was laughing and mad while he pushed Bird in the back of the head walking off the court. Should have been smacking Benson instead.

"That's when I knew this was a different breed" Jamal Mashburn

He was awesome to watch him ,he did something ever game ,that had us talking about it all week ,he had "It" ~~and gave 110 percent, yes he gave us something different n more crazy ever game ,and kill you in a clutch play ,we love you larry 🐦, ty for giving us your all and then more ❤

It's the WAY Gary Peyton said..." he was the SHIT"..... that says it all.

Brought a lot of memories. I never lived anywhere near Boston but, I was a Celtics fan because of Bird. To my mind, Bird was the best all round player the league has ever seen. If he was playing in his prime today, Bird would humiliate all the "star" player out there. Bird was one of a kind and there hasn't been a player to match him yet.

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 😊

Told you, his name is Larronius.....🐐💚🍀

I think Jokic is doing the next Bird thing. That weird grace and IQ and control of the game pace. Just like broke back Bird. He is changing the game, like Bird. He can go off offensively, pass with imagination, innovation and unbelievable accuracy. Bird is the man and the 🐐. I think he would do whatever was necessary for his team to win. He made everyone around him better. He also seems to have a photographic memory. He remembered everything and used it to analyze and anticipate every game.

I love these videos! Thank you for posting!

Larry was so much better than anybody else, he told his opponents what he was gonna do just to make it more fun. He was bored and needed a challenge. Telling the opposing bench pregame "I feel like 43 tonight"... And he made 42. Against Utah as Stockton said in an interview. And he never talks about it. The guys he embarrassed said that 20 years later.

Larry Bird was IMO the best all around and most complete player in NBA history. He was almost otherworldly. Lebron James is not even close and could only DREAM of passing and rebounding as good as Bird who was even better than Michael Jordan when it comes to that..

I think they look at it now and they realized bird had a slight edge on passing, he was the greatest passer of all time check out his video greatest passer

I believe it was Pat Riley that said if he needed a player to save a game, it was Michael, but if he needed a player to save his life it was Bird.

Larry was bigger, faster, a better shooter, and much more competitive than Luka could ever hope to be.

Benson is one of the guys at Indiana University that wasn’t too kind to Larry that 24 days he was there. Poetic justice I’d say :)

For a second I was wondering why all his shots were left handed. lol

I like that you make the game image large and your image small so we can see what you are talking about. So many reaction videos put the game image in the lower right corner where you can barely see it and the reviewer is HUGE and who wants to look at them? Show me the players and the plays, don't show me your face. Good video.

1:51 ..Yep and that IQ + His clutchness...ranks him ahead of nearly everyone , imho.

John Salley was definitely my favorite player on Detroit and an even better human being

Man your program is awesome your comments are so good and I can see your knowledge is huge!! Thank you

Excellent commentary, Solid. I learned a lot.

Bird was the best left handed baller ever

Bird was chucking those court long passes.. I 😮 said WTF!!!… lmfao

Larry is a legit 6'10" and a big 6'10". Luka meets Jokic meets Rodman.

From another proud born and raised Hoosier I'm proud to say Larry Bird aka The Hick From French Lick Indiana is absolutely a 👹

Love this one.

I never can get over that Gary Payton testimony. This is the same guy who threatened to shoot his teammate and his entire family with a gun.

The bench reaction is always the best, it's that: Bad shot, there's no waaaaaa- oh lord!

Happy new year to you and your family, following from the Phillipines

Love some Sal too. Worker. Good story telling too.

Hey Solid, I’m late to the party but imma still come comment to help with the algorithm 👍 Happy New Year to you my friend 🎉

Bro, the vid is filmed in reverse. Don't know if you realize this. Great reaction and commentary as always.

Bird fans aren't just fans.

Great job

Hate the argument against the old guys of “you played against plumbers” as if guys like Luka and Joker are all world athletes lol the joker and his body is proof Larry could easily play today

Top NBA career combined stats per game (pts, reb, ast, stl, blk) career fg%,tp%,ft% 1. Jordan 44.7 -50-33-84 2. Lebron 44.4 -51-35-73 3. Bird 43.1 -50-38-89 4. Kareem 42.9 -56-06-72 5. Durant 40.8 -50-38-88 Bird had the second highest winning percentage super close right behind Magic (10 games off).

So weird seeing all these iconic images mirrored

I love all these Larry Bird stories 😊

You’re awesome.

Magic Johnson would have been the captain of the Globetrotters, Larry Bird would have beat the Globetrotters. He elevated his whole team!

Being a little older, I always compared Larry Bird to Rick Barry as being near peers.

Im a bird fan but thats a bad comparison, steph shoots about as many 3s as larrys shot 2’s total. The 3 ball wasn’t as big in games back then

Should watch "making the case" for Larry as the goat. Breaks his stats down and everything....still got Jordan as my 1 I think, idk, it Jordan, bird, Kobe, Kareem...n then just would have to think to hard about. N not talking stats either or just eyes, there's so many levels, which is why LeBron would be lucky to find my top 10, 15, maybe even 20 honestly....I'd put Iverson over bron, probably Vince Carter, def Hakeem, wilt, Russell, Shaq, magic, Thomas, ect ect, shit don't get me started on lebron.... would love him to get thrown into the game back then, not raised in with his genetics but in his prime in soft ass NBA just getting tossed into that, maybe I'm wrong but I think he'd have a hell of a reality check

Larry Bird didn't have to get rebounds under the basket. He had the basketball IQ to KNOW where the ball was going if it missed and Larry would get the rebound.

Most people discounts Larry Bird's mvps. Take a second look at them, you will find that they are all in a row. The record shows he is the third one to do it. So far, no one has done it since.

To the point about 'thinking,' Larry claimed he'd think about his grandmother or who knows what when playing; he credited "flow" for what the host is attributing to thinking. My guess is that kind of unconscious, Zen-like, thoughtless flow requires a transcendental kind of focus and lots and lots and lots of practice.

If Larry played now with the complete lack or defense Bird would be doing 70 plus points a night,

Got a question: at 24:45 why is the dude at the end of the Pistons bench celebrating Bird's game-winning shot?

I was born and raised in Is Wayne County The Basketball team I was on won the state title we got to play A exhibition Game against the bad boy Pistons I guarded Isaiah Thomas The best time Of my life

Yes, he was a great shooter, but what I love most about his game (okay, besides his trash talking and his b.ball iq and those eyes in the back of his head) is his passing-- just gorgeous...and creative, surprising, smooth, needle-threading accurate, quarterback armed on the long passes.....and even funny, at times. I don't remember if you already reacted to the re-edit version of the vid. featuring his passing, so I'm going to check (and re-watch it, if you did). If you haven't, you should really check it out-- I can pretty much guarantee you'll love it, and be even more impressed with him after having seen it. Also, great reaction. I've watched a s*** ton of Bird reactions, and of all the reactors, you "get" Bird the most, imho. I loved, for example, your description in this reaction, of the difference between how Bird thinks v. how most other players think...and how it enabled him to tell players what he was going to do, and then do it without their being able to stop him. I liked the specificity of your examples-- the moves, the countermoves, and his anticipation of all the possibilities because, as you said, he was playing the man. Your understanding of the game and your open-mindedness really add something to the videos, for me, which is why I enjoy your reactions so much I return and re-watch them, as I did this one-- thank you!

Another comparison about Magic Johnson and Larry Bird is that Magic Johnson played in the West when the West was nothing but the lakers and the East Was Loaded. You at doctor J and charlesquickly with the sixers, the next were very physical you had the bad boy pistons, The Milwaukee bucks were pretty decent back then you had Dominic Wilkins with the Atlanta Hawks , Michael Jordan with the bulls , and the Cleveland Cavaliers were pretty good. Even the Washington bullets were terrible. There really wasn't much off nights for Eastern conference teams. The West like I said other than the layes you didn't really have much I mean the jazz were OK Houston was OK Denver was OK for a while but if you put those teams in the East they just be another team in the East.

you get it.

And they all said that he thinks at minimum, 2 plays ahead… 🚬😆

Bird had highest B-Ball IQ EVER;And,it's not even close!

☘️ Larry LEGEND

Take Bird and put him in today's NBA and he dominates. Put LBJ in Bird's era and if he got triggered by a young girl booing him The Bad Boy Pistons would have him contemplating retirement in his rookie season and Bird's trash talk would have him in tears.

Like Bird, Luca plays the game like it’s a chess match, thinking about 2,3 and 4 moves ahead.

👹

People want to believe that steph curry is the best shooter ever? Watch his buckets and Birds buckets. Curry is mostly 3pt shots where as Bird made buckets from anywhere on the floor and from any angle or body position

Love how Draymond was eating up all of Gary Payton's talk

Bird was always ahead of the defense.

They are getting two different stories mixed up and combined into one. Those are two different stories. The story where he banks went in is he had a bet with the ball boy and a totally different game and he forgot to bank one in

Luka is proof you do not have to be fast and athletic to be a good rebounder and elite scorer. Bird is bigger and quicker than Luka and would mop up in the league now with the advantages offensive players have.

In today's error Larry Bird will score at least 45 to 50 points a game untouchable if you gave and his prime a young Larry Bird yeah he was scored at least 45 or 50

I think in the 80's the L.A. Lakers were simply a better team than the Celtics. But Larry Bird was a better, or let's say more complete player than Magic.

Gotta remember too that LL's totals numbers are generated over a tragically short career.

👿👿👿

👹👹👹👹👹

We ought to make Chuck Norris jokes, only change it to Larry Bird! Haha, that would be Nice!