Larry Bird is one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. Larry was wildly successful in the NBA, winning multiple NBA championships while solidifying himself as one of the all-time greats, and helping make the Boston Celtics one of the most successful franchises in the history of the NBA.
But Larry didn’t do it alone, as he had some great teammates alongside him. The Celtics were able to build a great team around Larry, with two other all-time greats in Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to form a super team. But these days, super teams have become more common, mostly due to the player empowerment era.
Larry Bird was asked about super teams in the NBA a few years ago, and he gave a different take than most players in his era. Speaking as an executive for the Indiana Pacers, Bird noted that players want to be around other great players in the league, and he isn’t surprised that players want to play alongside stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant (4:01 onwards).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k_D8KrgEk8
“Free agency started all that. When LeBron decided to go back to Cleveland, you’ve seen a number of players rallying around him wanting to go to Cleveland. I call them cocktail guys, they all want to be where the action is, and you really can’t blame them. This league is all about doing your best, make a lot of money and win, that is all it comes down too. If you have the chance to play with LeBron James or Kevin Durant, you take that opportunity. The priority is to make a lot of money and be on a winning team and have all the pressure on another player, that’s how it works in this league.”
Bird clearly had a different perspective than his contemporaries, who are against players teaming up with each other through free agency. But perhaps Larry’s experience as an executive for the Indiana Pacers has given him better insight as to how players in the current era prioritize their playing options in the NBA.
Most former players are usually quite vocal against super teams in the league today, seeing it as an easy route to an NBA championship. But one can ask the question of whether they would feel the same way if they had the kind of power that players had in the past.
