Legends like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan dominated the 1980s NBA era. The former Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls guards were known for their athleticism and game awareness. Despite lacking physical prowess, the Boston Celtics legend won three NBA championships.
In his 13-year NBA career, Larry Bird was named the Finals MVP in two of his three championships. The three-time NBA MVP made 12 All-Star appearances and recorded a 50-40-90 season twice. Bird lacked aerial abilities but managed to dominate the league, which made the legendary center Shaquille O’Neal hate him.
During a past episode of Open Court, Shaq was asked about Larry Bird’s validity to be in the same sentence as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The Diesel revealed that he used to “hate” Bird. He said, “Well, I hated him. I was jealous because he was a regular guy who did everything. He shot in your face. He had the fadeaway.
“One time, I was watching a game, and he was falling out of bounds. And he shot that thing over the backboard, and he went,” O’Neal added.
Shaquille O’Neal Admitted He Was Wrong About Larry Bird
The Celtics legend averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on 49.6% shooting from the field in his NBA career. Shaq took time to realize Larry Bird’s greatness; however, he admitted that it was a pure skill that granted him legendary status.
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Shaq said, “I thought most of what he did was luck, but as I get older and kept watching, I just knew that it was skill. For him to even has his name mentioned in this category with Magic (Johnson) and Michael Jordan just shows how great of a player he was.”
While Larry Bird lacked athleticism and aerial prowess, he is regarded as one of the greatest NBA shooters ever.
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