Is Larry Bird the G.O.A.T.?

Many people have argued with me that Larry Bird is not even a Top Ten player of all time in the NBA. Which I think is just blasphemous. Coming from the Boston area, Larry Bird has been portrayed as a God, the “Hick from French Lick”, and changed basketball in Boston after the great dynasty’s in the 50’s and 60’s. Larry “Legend” changed basketball when he entered the NBA, which was turning into a “showboat”, selfish league. When he and Magic Johnson were drafted by the Celtics and Lakers respectively, they brought a new aura and excitement to the NBA. They brought basketball back to the forefront of two major cities on either coast. And as Andy Katz wrote, “Many like to credit David Stern with reviving the league. But where would David Stern be without Magic Johnson and Larry Bird?” Larry averaged a career statline of 25 points per game, 10 rebounds per game and 6 assists per game. The only other player to achieve this feat was LeBron James, not Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a basketball player and have been my whole life, Michael Jordan is the best player of all time, but for people to disrespect Larry Bird is just absurd. All of the things he achieved as a player. 3 championships (’81,’84,’86), a two time NBA finals MVP (’84,’86) and the only person to ever be NBA MVP 3 years in a row (’84,’85,’86). I think those accomplishments speak for themselves, but this video proves my point, that Larry Bird is without a doubt a Top 3 basketball player of all time.