NBA rivalries die hard, and Dennis Rodman kept the rivalry between the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics alive in late June, when he said three-time MVP Larry Bird would not make the NBA in today’s era of basketball.
“If Larry Bird played in this era, I think he’d be in Europe,” Rodman said on VladTV. “I’m just letting you know, man. He’d be somewhere over there.”
Former NBA player Dennis Rodman coaches during the NFL Pro Bowl Weekend Celebrity All-Star Game 2023 benefiting the charity D Up On Cancer at the Cox Pavilion on Feb. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“His game was fit for Boston at that time in the ’80s and stuff like that. Today’s world, oh hell no. There’s no way. I’m not downplaying him because he’s a great player at that time, just like I was. But I’m saying, no. There’s no way.”
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Isiah Thomas, who won two championships with Rodman in Detroit, was asked about Rodman’s comments, and “Zeke” went in a completely different direction with his take.
“My personal opinion on Larry Bird, if Larry Bird was playing today, he would still be the MVP of the league, and his team would still be winning championships,” Thomas said in an appearance on “Sway’s Universe.”
“Now, why do I say that? Because we just watched ‘The Joker’ [Nikola Jokic], who is very similar to Larry Bird, take his Denver Nuggets team and win the championship. So if I look at these two players, and if I’m saying that they’re similar, then Bird would win two or three championships in this era.”
NBA TV analyst Isiah Thomas looks on after Game Five of the 2023 NBA Finals on June 12, 2023 at Ball Arena in Denver. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Thomas famously backed Rodman in 1987, when Rodman said Bird was overrated because he was White after losing to the Celtics in the playoffs.
In his appearance on VladTV, Rodman went on to praise Jokic, saying the NBA Finals MVP is a better player than Bird.
“I think the kid from Denver is way better than him,” Rodman said.
“He’s slow as hell but that guy got a game,” Rodman continued. “I think he’s better than Larry Bird. In this day and age.
“Compare him to Larry Bird, I think people would pick him.”
From left to right, Kiki Vandeweghe, Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas pose for a photo during the 2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on Sept. 6, 2019 at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Thomas called Bird “The Dude,” describing what it was like to play against the three-time NBA champion.
“Out of all the players we played against, when Larry Bird caught the basketball, we were most afraid of him,” Thomas said.
“33 in green. He was ‘The Dude,’” he added.
Bird is one of only three players to win three consecutive regular-season MVP awards.
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