LeBron James has solidified his basketball legacy. He must prove himself daily as he continues to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Comparisons have been made between him and basketball legends Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird of the Celtics. While many believe James has surpassed Bird in greatness, debates often arise about their one-on-one skills. Recently, Gilbert Arenas, a former NBA player and friend of LeBron, shared his opinion on the matter. According to Arenas, in a one-on-one game, Bird would defeat Bron. Interestingly, Arenas had previously faced LeBron and was dominated by him, resulting in trash-talking from LeBron.
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Arenas’ comments followed surprising remarks made by Dennis Rodman about Larry. Rodman suggested that in today’s NBA, Bird would be playing in Europe.
Gilbert Arenas says Larry Bird would beat LeBron James in a 1-vs-1 game
During a discussion on VladTV about a one-on-one game between James and Bird, the former Most Improved Player expressed his belief that Bird would likely emerge as the victor. GA emphasized that in a one-on-one match, all of the strengths possessed by the four-time MVP are nullified. According to the former NBA player, James must possess exceptional court vision in order to effectively execute his offensive plays. Arenas commented on the issue, stating:
“Larry Bird would probably beat LeBron 1-on-1… Because 1-on-1, it takes away from everything LeBron has right. His physical strength, his speed, and all that power he has going well. In 1-on-1, you are talking about one, two dribbles. That’s not his game. That’s Larry’s whole game.”
Arens also added that, in order to beat Bird or any 1-vs-i player, LeBron needs to back up and then use all his physical attributes to overpower the opponent. Arenas also said that if the game is half-court, then the outcome of the game would change. In case, James could excel and might become the best one-on-one player.
Dennis Rodman says Bird would not survive in the modern NBA
Earlier, Dennis Rodman also sat for an interview with VladTV and made a surprising remark about Celtics legend Larry Bird. While Arenas said that Kodak would beat the King, Rodman didn’t believe that The Great White would be able to survive in the league. As per the former Chicago Bulls star, Bird’s game was fit for the 80s but not for the modern era. This is what Rodman said:
“I’ll put it this way. If Larry Bird played in this era, I thought he’d be in Europe… He’d be over there. His game was fit for Boston at that time, in the ‘80s and stuff like that. Today’s world? Oh, hell no! There’s no way.”
Interestingly, Arenas is a product of modern basketball, and his putting Bird above LeBron in a 1-vs-1 game is just surprising. Either it means that Rodman was wrong, or it might mean that in the modern game, there is no concept of one-on-one basketball.
