Advertisement - scroll for more content
Eddie Johnson to Patrick Beverley: You would have been in the CBA in the 80s
Eddie Johnson: And I will go on record and say you would have been in the continental basketball association and not in the NBA in the 80’s. . KD would have been Amazing in the 80’s, but you have zero clue how good Larry Bird was. ZERO!
Mirin Fader: I’m so excited to share what I’ve been working on! Book 3 - Larry Bird! 🙌🏼🙏🏼☺️
Kevin Durant puts himself, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Larry Bird on his Mount Rushmore of small forwards
Ahead of Kevin Durant’s first season with the Houston Rockets, he was put on the spot when a reporter asked him to name three legendary players to join him on the Mount Rushmore of all time NBA small forwards. The Rockets, who acquired Durant in a seven-team blockbuster trade, will begin a new era with one of the most talented small forwards in the history of the NBA. However, who would Kevin name as the other three alongside him? Durant didn’t waste time thinking of which Hall of Fame small forwards are most-deserving on Mouth Rushmore, per NBA reporter Jamal Christopher. “LeBron James. Kawhi Leonard. Larry Bird,” Durant said.
“The 1984 series was the first finals confrontation between (Larry) Bird and Magic (Johnson) and that fabled personal rivalry, and when I called those kind of games, I never projected the ultimate meaning of them,” Stockton said. “I never got ahead of myself because then you are assuming something and it becomes dangerous. I called that Game 7 as I called the others: the ebb and flow of the contest, the concentration to be accurate, making sure my partner would get to be the expert. My job was to do the ‘who and what,’ his was to do the ‘why and how.’ The roles would be mixed at times, but all I aimed to do was deliver the happenings and let it play out. It carried more significance than the others, but those watching knew it. They didn’t need me to overdo the scenario.”
Tom Haberstroh: Jalen WIlliams just did something -- score 40+ in a Finals game -- that the following players have never done: Larry Bird Hakeem Olajuwon Karl Malone Kawhi Leonard Dirk Nowitzki
Advertisement
In 2000, Bryant did the same to ignite a new generation of Lakers dominance. He wasn’t smiling, though. He didn’t use words. He laced jumpers like daggers into the hearts of the Pacers. Then Bryant gestured to his teammates, to the fans, to everyone who had yet to fully comprehend the level of No. 8. Everybody, calm down. Kobe is here. A superstar was born. “You only get a few of those players,” Ron Harper, Bryant’s Lakers teammate, said to The Athletic this week. “You can count on a few of them: Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas. They get to those special moments when the game slows down in their eyes, when it speeds up for everybody else. “He went and got the game. He allowed the game to come to him, but he went and got the game.”
Scott Agness: Rick Carlisle, asked about Larry Bird, notes that he expects to see him at the facility tomorrow for a pre-draft workout. Bird is still a team consultant and enjoys the player evaluation process. He’s now back for the summer.
As someone who's played in both Europe and NBA, to you, who are the greatest five NBA players and who are the five best European players? Goran Dragic: I’m going to start with Nikola Jokic at the five position. I have to go with my guy, Luka [Doncic], as the point guard. Then, of course, Michael [Jordan] as the two-guard. I played a conference finals against Kobe [Bryant], and he really dismantled us. So I’m going to put Kobe as a three-guard. And then at the four, you have LeBron [James], you have Larry Bird. You know what, I’m going to go old school, and I’m going to put Bird in, you know?
Shaquille O'Neal leaves Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out of his top 10 GOAT list
Netflix: Shaq reveals his top 10 greatest NBA players of all time 👀 Watch one of the all-time greats make his next play on Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal premieres June 4.
Promoting a documentary series streaming on Netflix, Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal went into revealing his all-time Top 10 list. Sharing his opinion on the best-ever NBA players, 53-year-old Shaq initially listed himself in tenth place, but quickly moved on to present his ten favorites. The turned-basketball analyst reserved first place for Michael Jordan. In addition, he did not name his partner in the brand new Netflix series, Allen Iverson. Shaq’s all-time Top 10: 1. Michael Jordan 2. Kobe Bryant 3. LeBron James 4. Magic Johnson 5. Bill Russell 6. Wilt Chamberlain 7. Larry Bird 8. Hakeem Olajuwon 9. Tim Duncan 10. Julius Erving
Advertisement
It's been an explosion in 3-point shooting for a variety of reasons. No matter where you start the measurement, like 3-point shots have become exponentially more popular now than they were 20 years ago, 30 years ago, wherever you start that. Now, the NBA added the 3-point line in 1979. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson's rookie year in fact. Larry Bird's teammate Chris Ford made the first 3-point shot in NBA history as Larry made his debut. And back then, they only shot 2 or 3, 3-point shots in an entire game. And this year, as you mentioned in the open, an average team is shooting over 37. An average NBA game then has 75 3-point tries in 48 minutes. And in many cases, we're seeing more 3s than 2s. And I always joke, why don't we call it the 2-point line in that case?
While his stat line isn't comparable to Michael Jordan's or Larry Bird's, Horry says people need to realize the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame highlights more than just one's NBA career. "It's about your basketball career not what you did in the NBA," he said. "I know what I did throughout my career as a basketball player, those are Hall of Fame stats."
Josh Lewenberg: Players to win MVP and an NBA championship in the same season: Steph, LeBron (x2), Duncan, Shaq, Jordan (x4), Hakeem, Magic, Bird (x2), Moses Malone, Kareem (x2), Willis Reed, Wilt, Bill Russell (x4), Bob Cousy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 4 wins away from joining that group.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement