Sports

During Their Peak John Salley Picked Larry Bird Over LeBron James. “I Have Nightmares”

LeBron James is widely regarded as one of the two best players in NBA history, but John Salley believes Larry Bird was better than him in their primes.

436562002_1681379069295549_5804453094341058126_n

Salley said that without any hesitation too, which speaks to how strong his belief is on this matter. He also applauded Bird for dominating on the court while playing through various injuries.

Salley revealed later in this segment that he was a big Boston Celtics fan, so he is perhaps a little bit biased here. Let’s take a look at whether Bird really has a claim to having a better prime than LeBron.

For me, Bird’s prime would be from 1983-84 to 1987-88. In those five seasons, he averaged 27.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. Bird was also remarkably efficient in those years, shooting 51.2% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc.

Cavs news: LeBron James tips his hat to Larry Bird for being the ultimate  professional

As for accolades, Bird won two championships (1984, 1986), two Finals MVPs (1984, 1986), and three MVPs (1984, 1985, 1986) in that period. He also made the All-NBA First Team in all five seasons and there is no denying that it was an incredible prime.

When it comes to LeBron, he has been so great for so long that it can be a bit difficult to pick just one stretch of his career as his prime. For the comparison here, I have gone from 2008-09 to 2012-13.

LeBron averaged 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in those five seasons. He also shot 51.8% from the field and 35.1% from three in that time.

LeBron James Reacts To Hilarious Story About Larry Bird: "Larry Legend Was  An ABSOLUTE MONSTER!!! Love His Game So much!! IQ Insane And Passion About  Just Playing Winning Basketball Was Through The

Like Bird, James also had a lot of success from both an individual and team standpoint in those years. He won two titles (2012, 2013), two Finals MVPs (2012, 2013), and four MVPs (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) in that five-year stretch.

LeBron made the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team in all those seasons as well. He finished runner-up for DPOY twice in that stretch too.

So, their primes might have been closer than you might think, but I believe James does get the edge. He was a far better defender than Bird was, and while he wasn’t as good a shooter, he managed to be just as effective on offense.

Related Posts

Fans swarm to the Iwate prefecture hometown of baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani

Mr. Ohtani’s hometown is capitalising on the economic effects brought by the 30-year-old baseball hero. OSHU – A surging number of fans of Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani…

Springboks star Pieter-Steph du Toit named World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year and follows in the footsteps of three All Blacks legends

Springboks star Pieter-Steph du Toit has been named World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year for a second time, fending off the challenges of fellow South Africans, Cheslin…

The NFL Fines Patrick Mahomes Almost $15K for ‘Violent Gesture’ During Chiefs-Bills Game

The quarterback mimicked shooting a gun after a touchdown pass during the Nov. 17 game in Buffalo, N.Y. Patrick Mahomes has been fined nearly $15,000 by the NFL for…

How an Aussie discard 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed off the Wallabies’ 40-year Grand Slam hopes – and gave it to Suaalii after ‘humongous’ blow

Sione Tuipulotu’s departure from the Rebels in 2019 barely made headlines, but five years on the Melbourne-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 centre gave Australians something to write about after 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing off any…

Doris misses out as Du Toit named World Rugby Player of the Year

Ireland captain Caelan Doris missed out as South Africa’s Pieter-Steph Du Toit was named World Rugby men’s Player of the Year in Monaco. The Leinster number eight was…

Toto Wolff explica por qué Lewis Hamilton no debutará con Ferrari en Abu Dhabi

Mientras que Carlos Sainz ha recibido luz verde para representar a Williams en la prueba de Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton no ha tenido la misma oportunidad. El jefe…