Last week, it was announced that one of the most well known basketball players in the world, LeBron James, had signed a lifetime sponsorship agreement with Nike for an estimated $30 million per year.
The news came on the 59th birthday of Larry Bird, whose biggest sponsorship was a humble deal with Converse in 1986. Despite not having the global brand appeal of James, it is Bird who is often compared to James during the conversation about who was the best small forward of all time. LeBron himself conceded that Bird was one of the top three NBA players of all time, alongside Michael Jordan and Julius “Dr. J” Erving; yet thanks to the mainstream media’s love for “King James,” his name is still getting tossed up there against Bird’s in the debate.
Bird’s name may be unfamiliar to some younger-generation NBA fans so it’s time to put an end to this debate once and for all.
Larry Bird was better than LeBron James.
[All stats, career averages per game, are provided via. basketball-reference.com and are accurate at the time of writing.]
Scoring
LeBron James is perhaps the most dominant player to grace the hardwood since Shaquille O’Neal. His brute strength combined with elite athleticism makes him an almost unstoppable force when driving to the basket. Bird didn’t enjoy any of the God-given physical attributes that Lebron possesses, so he was forced to be craftier in his scoring. Nevertheless, Bird scored with outstanding efficiency, twice becoming a member of the revered 50/40/90 club.
Although LeBron’s career average is higher than Bird’s (27.3 ppg to 24.3 ppg), Bird played in an era where scoring was more difficult. In my piece on whether the 2015 Warriors could beat the 90’s Bulls, I detailed how the hand-checking rule has opened up the game to make it easier for offensive players to score. The video below shows the calibre of the defenders that Bird had to face on a nightly basis.
Players, such as Bird and Jordan, would have no problem putting up 30+ points per game if they played now, given the offensive freedom for attacking players nowadays. Moreover, although he was 6-foot-9, Bird had the build of an average man; there’s no telling how great he would have been if he was gifted with Lebron’s superior athleticism.
Defense
There is no denying that Lebron James is one of the best defensive players ever. The 6-8, 250lb forward has the ability to guard every single position on the court, and is a nightmare for attackers. Having said that; Larry Bird was second in the NBA in defensive rating in 1984, and ranked in the top 10 six times. LeBron has only entered the top 10 twice.
Whilst the two are tied when it comes to steals and blocks, Bird’s defensive win shares (an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player due to their defense) surpasses LeBron (59.0 to 55.4) suggesting that although it’s clear that LeBron is a better individual defender, Bird’s defense is more valuable to a team given his impeccable positioning and timing. This video demonstrates just how impactful Bird was.
Rebounding
Averaging 10 rebounds per game is no small achievement, regardless of era. This season, only nine players are averaging double-digit rebounds and they are all power forwards or centers. This puts into perspective the magnitude of Larry Bird averaging 10 rebounds per game, not just for a season, but for his entire career! Not to mention Bird played the second half of his career through severe back and Achilles problems, whilst having to share the boards with great rebounders on the Boston Celtics such as Robert Parish, Dave Cowens, Kevin McHale and Cedric Maxwell. Lebron currently averages 7.2 rebounds per game for his career, and with his body aging it’s hard to envision this number drastically increasing.
Passing
Both players are great passers and average around six assists per games, so there’s not much to comment on in this category. Only that Bird was a great scorer and facilitator, while many criticise James for passing so much to compensate for his unwillingness to shoot. Nevertheless, both are great at assisting teammates. Check out the insanity of some of Bird’s passes below.
Winning
Larry Bird won three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics. LeBron James currently has two titles under his belt with the Miami Heat. With the way the Golden State Warriors are currently playing, who knows if LeBron will win again soon. The number of titles won by a player isn’t necessarily a good determining factor in their greatness, as basketball is, after all, a team sport. However, the way in which they won their titles can be quite telling. Bird was drafted by the Celtics in 1978 and stayed with them his entire career until he retired in 1992. LeBron was drafted by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers but bolted on them as a free agent to join all-stars Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade in Miami to create a “superteam” which only won two titles in four trips to the Finals. Upon multiple injuries to the aging Bosh and Wade, LeBron decided to return back to Cleveland to join younger, up-and-coming star Kyrie Irving and All-Star Kevin Love.
From 1981-87, Bird finished first or second in the MVP voting each year, and is still the only non-center to win three MVP awards in a row (1984-86). Lebron has four MVP titles to his claim, however some argue that he was not deserving of all of them, and his superstar reputation won the award for him rather than being the best player in the league each season.
We can analyze statistics and awards all we want, but sometimes the biggest difference in players are the intangibles that can’t be quantified.
Larry Bird was one of the best clutch players of all time. Lebron is notorious for choking when the game is on the line.
Bird won the 3-point shootout contest 3 times during his career whilst LeBron has been afraid to take part in the dunk contest in case it damages his reputation.
Overall, both James and Bird are great players, but if I was to build a team, I’m picking Larry Legend every day of the week. If the game’s on the line, there’s no one else I would rather have with the ball. Bird was a much better leader, and had the same mental toughness that has been displayed by very few, such as Jordan and Bryant.
Larry Bird is the greatest small forward of all time.
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