🖕Stephen A. Smith DIRESPECTS Larry Bird🖕 ⤑"He shouldn't be on the NBA's ①⓪ Best Players List"⬸

[@ldybozz]

Stephen A is on crack. What happened to "You can't take away nothing from Bird" "Larry Bird was the truth" "a great marksman"? To exclude the 3pt contest king for 3 consecutive years in a row is blasphemous! Larry Bird. I guess everyone forgot the NBA adopted the 3pt line in Larry's rookie year. He ranked 5th w. 58.3/143. Also, Larry played with a broken back. That'd loose its structural stability and required adjustments just to play. Never used meds, shots, etc. From 1985 til he retired. He was still able to dominate and put up stats. Led the league in 3 pointers twice 85,86. FIRST 3pt contest winner in 86 then 87, 88. MVP 84 , 85, 86. Larry's career 3pt percentage (.376)is better than Lebron's(.345). Playing 457 LESS games.

[@odizzle9550]

You speak the truth. Imagine how more poi ts and 3's would have put up if it wasn't considered a bad shot at the time. Guys these days can shoot for sure but they also run up and down and attempt more 3's by a landslide. Just like football Andy Dalton has better stats in some seasons than Montana but we all know it's not even close.

[@MrMakintosh100]

He said that about Bird 7 years ago. It’s not that what he said wasn’t true, but since then Players have surpassed Bird. Curry didn’t have 4 championships and was not the all time 3 point leader 7 years ago. KD didn’t have two championships and scoring titles yet. With time as events and players emerge, these top 10’s will change.

[@capitanfuturo594]

@@MrMakintosh100 blah blah blah Larry Bird is better than Curry and KD Stop writing crap

[@MrMakintosh100]

@@capitanfuturo594 Because you say so? FOH

[@capitanfuturo594]

@@MrMakintosh100 Curry without the triples would only be a good player and nothing else. Larry Bird was the best all-around player in NBA history. You millennials know absolutely nothing about basketball.

[@jorgenrexolson6451]

Bird should be top 5. Over Russell and over Lebron.

[@narutoxborutofanatic]

Sure bro 😂

[@manny4552]

Over James for sure

[@princesally743]

Let's compare Larry bird and Lebron James, MVPs Bron has four Bird has three Finals MVPs Bron has four Bird has two All nba teams Bron has 18 Bird has twelve, All defensive team Bron has six Bird has three Scoring titles Bron has one Bird has zero Assist titles Bird has zero Bron has one Lebron averages more points, more assist,more steals Lebron has a higher PER, Defensive box plus minus, value over replacement, offensive box plus minus, win shares, defensive win shares, Lebron has more first team all nba than seasons Larry bird played Lebron Seasons averaging thirty points Bron has three Bird has zero, Lebron has more playoff game winning buzzer beaters, Lebron has more playoff points, Rebound, assist, steals and blocks, Lebron has more regular season points, assist, steals, blocks, rebounds. Lebron has more championships than Larry bird and more finals appearances, So stats say Lebron is better, playoff stats and playoff resume say Lebron is better, regular season stats and advanced stat say Lebron is better, accolades say he is better so what exactly is your debate this man Larry legend is not better than Lebron

[@manny4552]

@@princesally743 yeah but if watched them both play you realize that if they matched up bird would beat him.. forget stats... Bird was a better clutch shooter long range shooter... Passer... Rebounder... And had a higher basketball I q... And bird played in any era that was rougher and more physical

[@princesally743]

@@manny4552 Yeah you know that Bird being a better shooter than Lebron doesn't mean he is a better player Reggie Miller is a better shooter than Kobe Bryant but is Reggie Miller a better player than Kobe the answer is no Lebron is more clutch his scoring percentage in the fourth quarter is higher than Bird he has hit more playoff game winning buzzer beaters. And you can't debate and ask to forget about stats that doesn't work because stats are an important part of the game. And even if I forget stats Lebron's individual accolades still show he is a better player and the eye test tell me who is the better player

[@jabo6479]

LOL... Kareem himself said Bird was the most skilled player.

[@BobbyM7847]

White people triggered

[@gambler213]

Larry Bird is most definitely the best small forward of all time. As great as Lebron is, he is no Larry Bird. Tell Stephen A, "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, it doesn't matter how idiotic it is."

[@gambler213]

@Raymond Sims IT's not even an argument. Bird is the greatest small forward of all time.

[@gambler213]

@Raymond Sims Don't get me wrong, little kid. I love Lebron James. He is probably the most gifted NBA player in the league's history. However, that does not make him the top small forward. Larry Bird is the most skilled player in NBA history. He is also the greatest clutch player in history. When people talk about Bird and Lebron, always remember that everyone knows they want the ball in Larry's hand at the end of the game, not Lebron's hand.

[@gambler213]

@Raymond Sims There's no debating little girls like you. Who would you rather have with the ball when the game is on the line, Bird or James? Just answer that simple question.

[@tuggboat4]

@Raymond Sims Please direct me to the stats that show LeBron has more buzzer beaters than Bird. I would love to see those.

[@manny4552]

Your so right

[@irishgrl]

Whatever happened to “Larry Bird is the truth?” So SAS thinks rings are all that matters? Someone needs to put a sock in this man’s mouth. I can’t believe he’s raising Shaq as high as he does. LeBron & Larry need to be swapped.

[@ldybozz]

He smoked himself stupid. He must've forgotten all that. Forgotten it took Bird just 2 seasons to get his first ring whereas it took James 9. Larry turned the Celtics around his first season. Kinda on his own. He didn't have McHale & DJ yet. Took the Celtics from a 29 - 53 season to 61 - 21 season. Larry's one of 8 hall of famers to win rookie of the year & be named to the all NBA first team. The only one so far to have those honors after Larry is Tim Duncan. Not even Magic, Jordan, KD or Lebron have such honors. Lebron hasn't even had 1 50/40/90 season.

[@chemislife]

With how Lechina is acting recently I don't think he should be on that list at all.

[@lotuslife3239]

​@@ldybozz i say 6 years for Bird cause he had 4 years of college but ye still true

[@irishgrl]

@@lotuslife3239 Nobody counts college years toward an NBA ring 🤦‍♀️

[@lotuslife3239]

@@irishgrl no but he had 4 years of college experience and improvement and was a rookie in the NBA AT 22 compared to Lebron at 18. Granted, Bird would have exploded onto the scene either way but those 4 years really helped in college to become an instant chip winner.

[@ajperry3063]

Bird is a better all around player than Durant. That's not even an argument

[@urdad2672]

Thts fax

[@rgreen1107]

Boooo ! Bird still GOAT , and always probably will be ……….

[@leodrosia4369]

Bird won 3 straight mvps over magic when both were under 30

[@jorgenrexolson6451]

SAS doesn’t care about that. He just « feels » that Magic was better, facts don’t matter

[@joshuasussman4020]

Larry the greatest all-around player of all time.

[@QuestionEverything562]

No, but offensively he's up there.

[@joshuasussman4020]

Who is better at shooting, passing, rebounding, defense, clutch, posting, driving, ambidextrousness, steals, blocked shots, 3 point shooting, foul shooting. No one better at the whole game.

[@Kayodoms]

@@joshuasussman4020 a lot of players. Do you watch basketball at all?

[@joshuasussman4020]

@@Kayodoms I’ve watched more than my fair share of basketball. “A lot of players”? Ok, name a few who are as good as Larry Bird in all the categories I mentioned.

[@Kayodoms]

@@joshuasussman4020 well for one Larry bird played worse in the post season(often overlooked) and his teammate Kevin Mchale had better boxscore numbers in the playoffs. Game 3 and 4 of the 1981 finals he had a poor shooting night scoring 8 points..But the obvious answer is Michael Jordan who’s lowest points scored in the post season was 18 btw. Also Kobe Bryant and Hakeem Olajuwon…oh and magic always played better than bird in the playoffs.

[@epic103]

Bird should be 2 or 3, definitely in the top 5 though.

[@manny4552]

Yes

[@commonsense8045]

No

[@newbiz3496]

look at bird stats, ya be eating that man....he wasnt nothing special...he was just good at that time....he stop being top 50 in the late 90's,....the stats dont lie

[@epic103]

@@newbiz3496 - Bird was 24, 10, and 7 for his career with 3 straight MVP's. He was the founding member of the 50, 40, 90 club. Bird is considered one of the greatest shooters and clutch performers of all time. LeBron James has Bird in his top 3, and Magic Johnson calls Bird the greatest basketball player ever and the only one he feared. Kareem said Bird might be the best player he ever played against. That speaks for itself.

[@newbiz3496]

@@epic103 bird only made 649 3's in his career and 7942 2 point field goals, kareem and bird came up in one of the weakest eras of basketball....if you watch bird game scoring 60 points, their was no body contesting him, he was more skilled than them players but compare to today players he not even top 50, just because someone dominated in a weaker era dont make them a great, yeah they did good for their time but times have change and he would never be in the talks of greats if he was in the mid 90's - today eras,....thats like saying the 426 hemi is better than the 6.2 hemi v8 because it was a head of its time in the 60's and 70's...no it was just good for its time because of its 465 horse power, when today hemi is reaching 717 horse power easily...we have to stop thinking the first is the best, i rather people say he was one of the greatest in his time than to have him as top 10 of all time, when the stats shows different...and the comp was different, the pace was slower the coordination was more basic and the style of basketball was more conservative, he can never last in today era just look at his 60 point game and you can see exactly how trash teams were back then

[@5thtenn]

I don't give a damn what he thinks. I've heard him say in other videos that Bird was better than Lebron.

[@richardlee1972]

Bird won the NBA MVP award three consecutive years when all the greats (Jordan, Kareem, Magic, Barkley, Dr J, etc...were his contemporaries. He defeated them all! This pretty much puts Stephen A's opinion to sleep.

[@billparthum206]

Sorry Stephen A. Your love affair with guys who never won 2 MVPs in their career over one who won 3 in a row is out of whack. Championships are TEAM wins, not a measuring stick for individual ability, as MVP is.

[@SUSPECTS1000]

Wait , where’s Olajuwon they’re bugging . 😮

[@queent3343]

Nobody made his team better like Larry Bird.

[@flyingtoaster1427]

This is Magic vs Bird.. what made them both so good. Yet not sure Larry Bird as a rookie could play center and win a title game... And, important to note, it's pre-Jordan time... When they actually had to play by the rules of basketball... So maybe it was more Bird who kept the rules intact. So in that time, palming was called on Magic prob a whole lot more than called against the later best palm-artist ever.

[@queent3343]

@@flyingtoaster1427 He didn't play center. I believe in Bird's rookie year the Celtics won 61 games, 29 better than the year before. They still played within the rules of their time. You can't compare the rules or how they were applied from generation to generation. Watch more videos about Bird. His peers have plenty to say about how he played and how they had to play every miinute of the game, because Bird did. How he was slow and couldn't jump, but couldn't be underestimated. And Bird didn't have to have a good scoring game to win the game because he contributed in other ways.

[@flyingtoaster1427]

@@queent3343 Who (do ya think) played center for the LA Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 championship final, as it turned out, and had 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists..? Pretty sure no other guard! (nor forward) could have played that game like Magic did, after Kareem was injured a couple days before... and the Lakers first championship since 1972. That would have been in the time of Jerry West and a Lakers team that won 33 in a row... And Magic did it in his first year. PS/ i liked both Bird and Magic, as much as i liked Bill Russell but Kareem a bit more, would loved to have seen that matchup while both in their prime!! Two wonderful men off the court! But there was never anything ever before and ever since Magic's day like Showtime! That was an honest-to-god wave of beauty, and without Magic never would have happened! It's one prime reason why L.A. writers just a couple months ago put Kobe 2nd in the top 75 Lakers of all time.

[@lesgrossman9492]

Magic at 4 and Bird at 7??? Does ESPN not remember the 80’s at all? Do they not have any tape? Anyone who thinks Magic was better than Bird is completely delusional.

[@capitanfuturo594]

Agree Larry Bird was better than Magic.

[@princesally743]

Magic is better than Bird

[@lesgrossman9492]

@@princesally743 🤣🤣

[@edwardcapobianco2975]

@@princesally743 no he isn't. Bird was the superior player

[@mastermace7770]

Magic is better than Bird

[@divedeep04]

Another brain fart from the master of the kind

[@jorgemontefusco650]

This fool, Smith is always wrong about everything. Wilt Chamberlain say that bird was the best ever. So who’s right?

[@pixieizzy5431]

Bird played left hand against a team because he was bored and scored 30+ points,Bird beat Michael Jordan 6-0,let that sink in

[@uninvitedmaine2345]

He saying kg is better than Larry Bird???

[@lahnonname8969]

No Shaq shouldn't be in the top ten. He was a lousy free throw shooter - he really sucked.

[@pixieizzy5431]

Stephen A is a clown,Lebum and KD wouldn't lace Birds shoes,Magic said Larry was the greatest,Kareem said he was on of his toughest opponents and Stephen A is saying KD is better than Bird even tho KD just got swept by the Celtics🤣What a clown

[@alfredoramos9782]

Lebum is nowhere near sa great as the legend Bird, the king of flop and self-proclaimed GOAT should not be in the top ten

[@teesweeezy263]

Break it down to me ? This young generation said bird isn’t top 5 nor 10 he isn’t on lebron level ? I was bird in 97 can u please tell me

[@bernardqblack]

Larry was the best all around player ever. Anyone who thinks otherwise is tripping. Shaq couldn't shoot.

[@stevedeland7048]

Stephen A Says that because Bird is white. Bird belongs in the top 10 easily. KD is great but just got.swept by Boston.

[@lusterthomas4189]

KD is not in Bird class.

[@aaronst.pierre3080]

If you forget Larry Bird was white he's in the top 5. Kevin Durant better? Are you fucking kidding me??? Bird got hurt and the Celtics couldn't win. Also, when Wilt was playing he had to go up against a Celtics team every year where the entire team is in the hall of fame. I mean he's only 1 man. The fact he did win 2 championships is key. If he had a team of HOFers he'd have 10-11 too.

[@ronaldclatterbuck5953]

Magic ahead of Bird ....no way , not even close ..Lebron no way ahead of Bird...Durant not even in same category as Bird..

[@MrMakintosh100]

Magic owned Bird in College and beat him more times than Bird beat him. They face each other 37 times and Magic beat him 22 times. Magic has 5 championships to Birds 3. Magic was more impactful on both ends of the floor than Bird being able to play and guard all 5 positions. Magic is clearly better than Bird.

[@timgray3790]

To Stephen a smith, dirk is number 6 on the nba scoring list, does that make him top 10? 5 years ago you said you would take bird over lebron any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Does your argument come down to the fact that bird lost 4 years to playing in college, average 30 points over those 4 years? And losing one year to surgery to his back and both Achilles’ tendons? Bird was a far better shooter, even better rebounder, better passer and didn’t need to hold the ball for 22 seconds of the shot clock to score his many points. His assists come from last second shots when he finally passes the ball. And more importantly, bird made everyone around him better. Lebron can’t say that. In fact he makes everyone worse. Players that join him wherever he goes become worse players because on offense they take last second shots from the ball hog. Lebron is not better than wilt, magic, Shaq, or even Kobe, he might be outside the top 5 with Worthy being number 5 on the lakers. He’s not better than bird, he sure as hell is not better than bill Russell. Jordan is the undisputed number 1, not even close. But lebron is a 20% shooter in the last 5 seconds in close games. Jordan and bird, 50%.

[@forshigity5000]

Larry Bird> Lebron

[@retronbastories]

All the time

[@brendawalters3728]

if bird was black stephen a would have him in the top 5

[@mattsowder7978]

Bird is top 5, without question.

[@hayzersolar]

KD ain't nothing compared to Larry Bird. Larry Bird was the first 90 40 50 club did it twice and only the third person in history to have three League MVPs back to back to back and one to three point contest 3 years in a row and almost average a triple double in his lifetime career let's see KD do that. Don't get me wrong he's an awesome player but he's no Larry Bird

[@dominic6283]

Bird did a lot more than just score. He is the best all around Basketball player. He did everything on the floor, which everybody seems to overlook.

[@MrMakintosh100]

How was he the best all around basketball player when you have players who can do everything Bird can do with more Athleticism, skill, and can actually defend? In no way is Bird superior to Jordan, Lebron, Magic, Wilt, Shaq, KD, Duncan, Russell, Curry, Jerry West, Kobe, and Kareem. I named 12 players better than Bird with ease and they all have the numbers And accolades to back it up.

[@dominic6283]

@@MrMakintosh100 Bird had more skill and the will to win more than any of those players you mentioned except for maybe Jordan. Magic didn’t have that much athleticism. Do your homework, Bird did much more than those other players, even Kareem and Magic said it themselves. Bird just lacked athleticism. 3 straight MVPs in a row with with Jordan, Magic, Kareem and the bad boy piston’s in the league. He was a bad boy.

[@MrMakintosh100]

@@dominic6283 The point is, Bird doesn’t have the numbers to support ranking him as highly as people do. The same thing you said about Bird can be said about other players, like Curry for example. Can’t say he doesn’t have the Will to win with 4 championships. Same can be said about Kobe except he was athletic and was even more of a killer than Bird. His 81 point game should speak to how much of an assassin Kobe was. Kobe was much more skilled than Bird offensively and defensively with 11 First team all NBA to Bird’s 9 and 9 time all defense to Bird’s 0. Bird was not as Dominant as Shaq and even he has 4 championships, which is more than Bird has. This is not a knock to his greatness, we just have to be fair and objective about it when you consider other Great players.

[@dominic6283]

@@MrMakintosh100 Good points but birds career was cut short because of his back. I can’t argue longevity stats but what he did in those 13 years was impressive. He also played in a tougher conference and a tougher era of basketball. His numbers would be even greater in todays game considering how soft the league is today.

[@fastkashgaming3672]

@@MrMakintosh100 😑😑😑This comment has to be a joke.

[@adriansellers7168]

Larry. Bird 6-0 vs MJ in the playoffs …..no excuses!

[@lightlantern]

Larry Bird Rocks!! Stephan A. Is Full Of Himself!! 🤬

[@dolphthadon3023]

But Duncan got them 5 rings in the Shaquille O Neal era... Let's not forget how many times the spurs beat them

[@choward5430]

LeBron is not #2. But he's #1 in all-time turnovers and #1 in finals games lost and #3 all-time in finals series lost.

[@dantedlp3000]

Stephen a smith never dribbled a ball in his life ask the players that played against Bird and see what they say! Bird was a straight Legend a top 10 player hands down!

[@darrelljohnson5764]

No surprise from the network Racist. He is losing whatever mind he had .

[@jeffmejia111]

Is he basing it on titles won? Shaq the most dominant? Shaq got away with both offensive and defensive fouls because he was a star player in Stern's "the crowd pays big money to see the stars play" NBA. His work ethic sucked and quite frankly, if your old enough remember, Mark Eaton, in my opinion, was the most dominant defensive player I had ever seen play. Head to head if Shaq played against Eaton, Eaton would have dominated Shaq.....easily. Different work ethic and different era. The very fact Bird isn't in the top three or at least five shows the list is tilted.

[@georgestewart3242]

Give Legend four years of stats when he was 18-22 and let’s compare SFs again. Compare Lebron and Larry’s stats are age 30 and then let’s talk who’s better.

[@Animexombo]

Bird: 28.1 pts/9.2 reb/7.6 ast/52.2 FG%/26.4 PER. LeBron: 25.3 pts/6.0 reb/7.4 ast/48.8 FG%/25.8 PER.

[@godsnobody2915]

Stephen A knows very little about pro basketball. He knows even less about boxing. That's when I really hate listening to him...when he talks boxing...🙄

[@riffsthatkill2180]

How you can say Magic is fine in the top 10 but Bird is not is beyond me. Stephen A is just an armchair analyst. Kobe has 5 titles but only 2 titles as the first option. Bird has 3. Bird had no Shaq or anyone like him. Also, the "2 titles compared to 11?" BS is stupid. No one who played on Russell's era who wasn't a Celtic could possibly close the gap on that discrepancy, so we just say no one else from his era can be top 10? So stupid...

[@andyausman2139]

Think 1 thing never looked at is, the era they played in. The last 20 years have been getting more offensive heavy and ez tick tack fouls!

[@capitanfuturo594]

*LARRY BIRD WAS THE BEST ALL-AROUND PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY.* Stephen A is delusional.

[@YankeesFlair]

Smith just lost a ton of credibility!!! Omit Bird ? Please

[@choward5430]

LeBron cannot outshoot Larry Bird. LeBron cannot outrebound Larry Bird. Passing, I'll call it even but not really. Which player scared the hell outta me as a Laker fan? Larry Bird. Moses Malone. Ice Man.

[@mastermace7770]

LB never went to consecutive nba finals like LBJ

[@moddedgameofskate2700]

That guy is crazy as hell

[@flyovermars8604]

Larry Legend 3 straight MVP and heart of lion, which KD and Lebron are no match.

[@dmlummin1761]

They actually pay you to come up with dumb comments like this?

[@witness2.512]

Steven A sways with the breeze depending on who he's around. He once said he'd take Bird, hands down, over Lebron at their peaks. Said it wasn't even really a debate. Skip agreed. So would anyone old enough to have seen both. But when he thinks young kids are watching he flip flops.

[@rageforthemachine]

Jim Loscutoff and Satch Sanders have a combined 15 championships. I guess by Stephen A.'s logic they should be on the list.

[@artshidler151]

I wish Smith would just shut up Want to laugh? Watch him try to box

[@hardcackalacka3303]

7 is way to low for bird

[@thorphoeung6057]

Larry Bird was 1st or 2nd in MVP voting 7 years in a row. He won 3 MVP's from 1984-1986. The 1980's had some of the best teams in history. Especially the East. They had the Pistons, 76ers, Bucks, and etc. Larry and Magic should be neck and neck in ranking. Larry was actually better than Magic from 1980-1986. When Larry messed up his back, that was when Magic started catching up. Lebron is great, but top 2? That is debatable. If he stayed in Cleveland his own career, he should be top 2. But him switching teams repeatedly to chase a title diminishes his legacy. I have him top 5 or top 10, but not top 2. The others on the list makes sense. Stephen keeps on bringing up KD who was never the alpha male on a team who won a title. He only won 2 titles because of Steph, Klay, and Draymond. KD should not be mentioned in the top 10. The only one I would replace is maybe Oscar for Shaq.

[@DCdc-rn8sz]

I don't care what the opinionated Stephen Smith says about Larry Bird...what is important is that Hall of famers like magic, MJ, Kareem, payton, Ewing, , Erving, Dominique Wilkins, Malone Phil Jackson, Drexler, Pat Riley, Dennis Johnson, Tiny Archibald, Joe Dumars etc---all say one thing---Bird is great and absolutely top 10....because it came from his peers and players and coaches who actually saw him play....not from a biased journalist like Smith..

[@godsnobody2915]

Lebron James isn't the 2nd best player ever...incredibly overrated...

[@riffsthatkill2180]

I would say Durant is on Birds level but wouldnt be so sure he's better. Sure his numbers are a little better, different era. But Larry didn't leave Boston to join the Lakers so he could get rings. He kept fighting the Lakers to beat them, didn't join em. And then when the Lakers didn't make the finals so the Celtics could play them, Larry went ahead and beat whoever happened to be there (sorry Houston). To me, plus his better passing ability, Larry is greater.

[@luckyomma7152]

On intangibles alone KD couldn't carry Bird's jock. His leadership, his clutch shooting, his ability to make his teammates better are infinitely superior to KD

[@lahnonname8969]

Why do the number of titles determine anything? One man could be on a team with better players than the other, or have a better coach. There are too many contributing factors for it to come down to the number of championships.

[@mvoulgaropoulos]

he's just selling a product - the "who is better" argument is the product. A low, low angle for the product. sad.

[@chassmith8779]

Larry Bird: Superior vision, touch, and basketball instinct. They talk about how great Magic was at passing the ball (Note, Magic was and still is my favorite player) but in reality Larry Bird was the greatest passer to play the game. Black players are far and away better athletes than white players. As a group Blacks are faster, jump higher, quicker, great vision, and just as smart or smarter than white players thus when a man such as Larry Bird plays at a high level on a consistent basis he stands out for obvious reasons. We have been blessed (I been blessed) to see men like Oscar, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Jordan, Magic, Bird, Cousy, West, Miller, O’Neal, Erving, McHale, Barkley, Havlicek, Pettit, and Pistol Pete play the game I love. I have not mentioned GREAT players like Kobe, Durant, Curry, Nowitzki etc. ….. I’m long in the tooth and don’t watch the NBA like I used too. In addition, I left out a few Black players who are great but I do not think bringing politics into the game is good for our youth and besides it does nothing but divide our society and it is selfish.

[@alanela6761]

Durant averages 27 a game, bird averages 24. All the rest of their stats are identical, and Bird did it through traffic and contact, without shooting many threes. If you want to say that Durant is the best scorer ever because of those numbers, that automatically puts Bird ahead of him, because if Bird shot as many 3s as they do today, he easily avg 27 points. Free throws would go way up from 5/gm, also, which would also add points (out of his 5 attempts per game he made 4.4)

[@upgradeyourmindset3265]

Stephen A. There is something called INTANGIBLES. I'm so tired of people today overrating guys based on what they are capable doing vs what they actually do. KD might have a better handle, be more agile, bigger, more athletic. That still does not make him BETTER. Larry Bird was the ultimate competitor and had thick skin, something KD lacks big time. I don't care how talented you, if you ain't all there mentally it doesn't matter

[@macgawain3645]

This didn't age well. KD is not better than Larry. He's not a two way player like Bird, not a great passer like Bird, and he's definitely not a leader like Bird. He's just a mercenary that leaves whenever things get tough. #soft

[@db3467]

Steven a Smith thinks he knows it all. He knows little about MMA fighting

[@sharifali5384]

That is the problem with these lists it depends upon what the creator of list considers important. For me it is all around players. I don't put any of today's scorers in the NBA. Rule changes like the 3 second violation, hand checking amongst other have made it far easier to score. To put it simply it allows more athletic but less skilled players to score more. Scoring is too easy I would support a list by era, however.

[@rustydaboyrobot]

Poor list. Larry should NEVER be out of the top 3...neither should MJ....or Wilt. Magic and Kareem round out the top 5. . Lebron is at #16.

[@precisoterfe5410]

LeBron at 16???? Lmao u on crack

[@slydEvil35]

It’s so close but Larry edges magic for me due to Larry making multiple all defensive teams and magic having 0. Magic got aids in the back end of his career while Larry’s back went to shit right in his prime around 87. If Larry doesn’t get hurt he’s top 3-4 all time instead of top 10.

[@bernardqblack]

Is this the same Stephen A who said hed take Bird over Lebron??

[@bencarter8423]

Stephen A “are we going to sit here and say that Larry Bird is better than Kevin Durant”. Ahh, yes we are!

[@indyspotes3310]

There's not a single aspect of KD's game that Bird couldn't provide. But despite being taller, KD can't board like Bird. Despite better spacing from the modern outside game, KD can't pass like Bird. Despite volume of opportunity, KD is nowhere as clutch as Bird. KD is a hell of a talent. A hell of a talent. But he still ain't no Bird.

[@roxydejaneiro5640]

quality and quantity of contributions? What is that suppose to mean?

[@eriknewton4656]

does stephen a smith realize that without bird and magic there would be no nba today. bird won 3 championships with perhaps the highest degree of difficulty of any player's championships in any player's history. he won 3 titles in the golden age of the league and beat a ton of hall of famers in their primes? his list of rivals goes , bernar king, ralph sampson and hakeem olajuwan, the show time lakers, michael jordon who he never lost to in a playoff series, the bad boy pistons, dominique wilkins of the hawks, and syney moncrief of the bucks to name some. he's only the 3rd player in nba history to win league mvp consecutively 3 years in a row with bill russel and wilt chamberlain. he founded the 50 40 90 club. if anything bird should be top 3. if bird and magic hadn't come into the nba when they did the nba would have died out.

[@dannyhoughton9704]

Larry Bird # 1 he is been retired since 1993 and still today still talking about him greatest around player

[@snoop65441]

Steve A just likes to hear himself talk

[@jeremydobbs5578]

KD over Bird???? Shaq over Duncan? Have either of you watched basketball before?

[@leoderosia9279]

Russell and Wilt are right there with Kareem imo and maybe slightly better . Bird is best pure player I ever saw , Celtic fan...Bird and magic should be rated the same

[@QuestionEverything562]

Seems like Stephen A. always forgets to mention not all 5 of Kobe's titles were led by him. Pathetic Kobe stan smh.

[@williamlawrence1422]

100 different people would 100 different lists

[@nathanc30]

Stephen A, allen Iverson and Shaq always skip over Bird.

[@doldi5400]

My top 5 all time. Hakeem, Duncan, Bird, Johnson and Jordan.

[@29mailliw]

Really STEPHEN A you went at larry bird are you kidding me ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

[@johndor7890]

Who is Stephen Smith?

[@Roman-nl7hg]

Being a great basketball player is more then just rings no disrespect but if u only see those legends for rings and not what they accomplished or have achieved think season MVP bird and magic both have 3 each AND CHANGED THE LEAGUE

[@witness2.512]

1. Jordan 2. Russell 3T. Magic 3T. Bird 5. Kareem 6. Wilt 7. Kobe 8. Hakeem 9. Duncan 10. Lebron 11. Shaq 12. Dr J 13. West 14. Oscar 15. Moses 16. Zeke 17. Elgin Some day Steph "may" be top 20.

[@Warpathjak]

Man stevin is just the best case of recency biased

[@MrC77]

Durant is only 1 inch taller than Bird

[@fluffyusa]

Just ask Shaq what he thinks about Hakeem the Dream? To me, Hakeem was the greatest Big Man to play in the era of Big Men 80's/90's NBA.

[@peterpellechia5985]

Durant is not half the rebounder or defensive player bird was let alone passer!!!!!

[@briz12th8]

This dam near the best top ten list I seen

[@thesentinelsfootballchanne3212]

Lebron isn't even top 10. Maybe 11th or 12th if I'm being honest. Remove him from the list. I don't care how you figure it out but Lebron not top 10 all time. Put Jerry West in the top 10.

[@tristanoleary991]

Underrated

[@tuggboat4]

Why is he yelling????? I guess that is the only way he can get someone to listen to him.

[@sasaradic8887]

He already shown how much he knows whem Luka Doncic came into NBA. This guy can sell tacos , away from basketball comments.

[@mikemorgan5933]

Bill russell was on a great team emphasis team as an individual stats show he was no wilt.

[@snoop65441]

Titles is a somewhat overrated point, players are responsible for who they are playing with, that falls on the team unless you're LeBron

[@harveyrice1029]

what does Curry do other than shoot a 3, he not in the top 100

[@manny4552]

He should say Durant could go down as the greatest scorer in the no hand check era...like James he played his whole career in a soft no hand check era...smith started watching NBA players in what 1989. And he thinks he's an expert in nba history...ask a credible guy like bob Ryan...case closed

[@BigCountry0316]

When’s the last time Steven fake smith touch a basketball or coach ?

[@gregwhittington5429]

Look at who they also played with, when magic and bird played there was at least 40 great players in the nba, shaq played with kobe and wade, wouldn't have won 4 without them, mj didn't win until pippen showed up, kd on another level, curry best I've seen, watched basketball since 60s, bill russell best of his time, I played college basketball when I was 29 30 and 31 years old, 5' 11" ,dunk in combat boots, could have played with anyone any , my favorite player larry legend a definite top ten player what about pistol pete, if there was a 3 point line he would have averaged over 50 a game, my opinion on the best is we all have an opinion