Charles Barkley ruffled some feathers recently after agreeing with former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy’s claim that the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo is the greatest backcourt ever. Former NBA player Otis Birdsong seemed to have taken offense to the statement. He recently called out Sir Charles for his propensity to make ‘sensationalist’ remarks while naming a few legendary backcourt duos, in an attempt to prove the TNT analyst wrong.
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During an interview with FOX 26 Houston, Birdsong was asked to give his two cents on Charles Barkley’s take regarding the Dallas Mavericks backcourt duo. The four-time All-Star found Sir Charles’ opinion ridiculous. He also pointed out that Barkley is in the business of saying dramatic things.
“Charles is always opening his mouth and putting his big size 15 [shoes] whatever he wears in it...,” the 68-year-old said.
“They’re a heck of a backcourt. But there have been some great, great backcourts through the years… I played with the great Phil Ford, as you mentioned I played with the great Micheal Ray Richardson… Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams, Magic and Byron Scott. Just too many to just say that Luka Doncic and Kyrie are the best backcourt ever. That’s ridiculous,” Birdsong said.
Subsequently, Birdsong shifted the blame to the ‘entertainment business’. He underlined that analysts need to have hot takes like these to drive ratings. But that doesn’t mean these claims have to be taken seriously.
It’s usually noticed that players from the bygone eras are often dismissive of the players of today. But Birdsong is not far off. It’s really tough to hail Kyrie and Luka as the best backcourt with so many great guards vying for the title.
The likes of Magic Johnson and Byron Scott, and the other examples that Birdsong named, are great pairings no doubt. The pairing of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson can also give the Mavs duo a run for their money.
Meanwhile, it must be noted here that Otis Birdsong and Micheal Ray Richardson did revolutionize the guard position during the late 1970s and through the 1980s.
Otis Birdsong was the first guard to be awarded a contract in seven figures
Playing in the era of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and several other legends, Birdsong’s achievements went under the radar for the most part. A great scoring-first guard, the New Jersey Nets star was also highly efficient from the field.
Even though it might be a stretch comparing him and Micheal Ray Richardson to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the former Nets duo was simply outstanding. The two shared the locker room for nearly four years and combined for 33.8 points, 10.6 assists, and 4 steals per game (per Basketball Reference).
Both of them played a huge role in leading the Nets franchise to four straight postseason appearances. Unfortunately, the Nets could never make a run for the title. However, the impact that they have had on the Nets organization is commendable.
