Larry Bird is one of the most underappreciated legends in NBA history and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. The Boston Celtics icon was one of the most skilled players of his era but people didn’t seem to pay much attention to him or give him the credit he deserved.
Bird was an incredible player but a lot of people believe he was just lucky and didn’t have any skills to score and pass the ball like he used to. One of those who didn’t believe in the No. 33 was Shaquille O’Neal, who revealed in an old interview he used to hate Bird.
“I really never had the chance to play against Larry Bird but I actually used to hate Larry Bird. I was sort of jealous of him or something because he was a regular guy who did everything. He shot it in your face, he had the fadeaway. One time, I was watching a game, and he was falling out of bounds and he shot that thing over the backboard and I was like… I thought most of what he did was luck but as I got old and kept watching I knew it was skill. For him to have his name in so many categories with Magic and Michael Jordan says how great of a player he was.”
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Larry was one of the best players of his era, the main responsible for the exposure the league had in the 80s alongside Magic Johnson and one of the most influential players we’ve seen in the association.
He retired as a 3x NBA champion and 3x MVP among other accolades. He explained that he wasn’t the strongest or fastest player on the court but he was smart and learned the fundamentals that helped him become the great player he ended up being. Good thing O’Neal came to his senses and realized that Larry was actually a bad man who looked like a regular guy. At the end of his career, he was “hated” not for his luck but for how great he was. Even Michael Jordan “celebrated” when Bird announced his retirement.
**Credit for idea: Hot League Takes**
