Most-underrated player in NBA history may be Larry Bird

I realize Larry Bird gets many accolades for his career accomplishments, but he does not get the recognition coming to him. Why? Partly because he is "light complected", not highly-athletic - nor particularly quick on his feet. And let me add that being a career-long member of the much-maligned Boston Celtics doesn't help his status amoing non-New-Englanders.

Let's do a quick stats comparison of Larry and Michael Jordan, widely recognized as the "best ever".

Larry:

24.3 PPG - 10.0 RPG - 6.3 APG - 1.7 SPG - 0.8 BPG - .496 FG - .376 3s - .886 FT

Michael:

30.1 PPG - 6.2 RPG - 5.3 APG - 2.3 SPG - 0.8 BPG - .497 FG - .327 3s - .835 FT

Bird takes four categories (underlined), and Jordan takes two. The FG% was too close to call, and a tie occurred in blocks. Granted, stats alone do not determine rankings - nor do Championships, individuaL defensive prowess - or many other attributes.

And I will not go so far as to state that Bird should be rated above Jordan as NBA GOAT. Larry was mesmerized by Michael's talent from the getgo. But Bird deserves to be in the "Top-5-ever" conversation with Michael Jordan. There you have it.

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