Few players in NBA history can be compared to Larry Bird, arguably one of the best to ever grace a basketball court. Luka Doncic, however, has often been mentioned alongside The Great White Hope because of the striking similarities in their style of play.
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The Don and Bird are crazy similar when it comes to how they play offense. Neither is the fastest nor most athletic, but they control the game with pure skill, vision, and ridiculous shot-making. They’re the type of players who can score, pass, or slow it down to pick apart a defense without ever seeming rushed.
However, the idea that Doncic and Bird are comparable doesn’t sit well with some of the OGs, including Bird’s former teammate, Robert Parish. The four-time NBA champion voiced his concerns during a recent appearance on The Coach JB Show.
“He and Larry Bird [are] not in the same conversation,” said Parish, moments after crediting Doncic as a “hell of a player.” So why doesn’t the nine-time All-Star view the Slovenian superstar in the same light as Larry Legend? One word: defense.
“First of all, Luka don’t play defense, and Larry Bird did. Larry Bird was a two-way player. You can’t say that about Luka. My old stiff a** can play better defense than he does and I’m 71,” he added.
There are some things Parish said here that ring true. Doncic, for all his glory and “magic,” is lackluster on the defensive end. In any era, he’s the guy you want with the ball in his hands when the game is tied and there are 10 seconds left. But when it comes to making a game-winning stop, that’s not where his fire burns brightest.
Could Doncic play better defense than Parish at 71? Probably. But it’s still a much closer argument than you’d expect. Parish was known for his defense and rebounding throughout his incredible NBA career. Can he hit a step-back jumper like Doncic? No chance. But if he were guarding The Don, he’d definitely make that shot a lot tougher.
As for Bird, it’s not just that his defense was better than Doncic’s; it’s the way he approached the game. The trash talk, the mind games, the intensity — all of it made him a more aggressive and disruptive defender. Sure, some of that was a product of the era, but no one can deny that Bird was god-tier when it came to talking smack.
Doncic should take an interview like this as fuel for the 2025–26 season. His defense was already under fire after the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Maybe this is just the push he needs to level up that side of his game.
