Dennis Rodman Takes Disrespectful Shot At Celtics Great Larry Bird

Dennis Rodman’s outlandish persona seeps into his sports takes with the now-62-year-old firing off a shot at fellow Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.

Rodman’s ridiculous and disrespectful stance on Bird is simple: He doesn’t believe the three-time NBA champ and 12-time All-Star would play in today’s NBA. In fact, Rodman declared that Bird, who also won three league MVPs, would instead play overseas.

“If Larry Bird played in this era I think he’d be in Europe,” Rodman told VladTV on YouTube. “So, I’m just letting you know, man. … I’m just saying, he would be somewhere over there. His game was fit for Boston at that time in the 80s and stuff like that. In today’s world, oh hell nah. There’s no way.

“I’m not downplaying him cause he’s a great player, at that time, just like I was. But I’m saying nah, there’s no way. No way. I think the kid from Denver (Nikola Jokic) is way better (than) him.”

Coming from Rodman, an unfiltered opinion with little to no sense attached isn’t surprising at the very least. It’s reminiscent of that of JJ Redick’s, which garnered some well-deserved backlash.

Bird, since retiring 31 years ago in 1992, remains recognized as one of the league’s most fierce competitors. He’s also arguably the greatest to ever play for one of the most successful franchises in sports. Therefore, understanding Rodman’s position on the matter is difficult.

Yes, the NBA demanded more speed and athleticism, but referencing Jokic, who’s proven to be capable of playing today’s game, dismisses the notion of discrediting Bird, who played in a tougher and more physically demanding time.

Perhaps the recency bias of Jokic notching his first NBA title, and a year removed from his second consecutive MVP award, got to Rodman’s head. Even if so, Bird’s qualifications create a long road ahead for Jokic before the two can even begin to be compared.