Using LeBron James’ 18 Years And Klay Thompson’s 60 Points As Examples, Larry Bird Went Off On ‘Old, Broken NBA Players’ in 2019

Larry Bird used the biggest stage in 2019 to chime in on the old-school vs new-school debate. As he received the NBA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Bird slammed all the ‘old’ and ‘broken’ down players who would criticize the players from the modern era.

The old-school era vs the new-school era has been a heated debate for quite a few years now. A majority of the players from the older generation constantly denounce the current generation. At times, it stops being logical and the ‘hatred’ starts becoming very apparent. Giving his two cents on the argument, Larry Bird used examples of LeBron James, Klay Thompson, and James Harden and stated that the old heads’ hate was illogical.

Larry Bird rips apart “old” and “broken” players

One of the deadliest players in the 1980s, Larry Legend, ripped apart the players from his generation who would hate the modern era. The Hick from French Lick didn’t mince his words when he was addressing the “old” and “broken down” players. Lauding LeBron James for his longevity, Klay Thompson for his scoring outbursts, and James Harden for his athletic dunks, Bird revealed being proud of the players of the current generation.

“One thing that I see happens often is you see these old, broken down NBA players talking about their era and how great they were back then, and the players today are not as good as they were back then,” Bird said. “That’s crazy, man. You haven’t seen LeBron James in the last 17, 18 years? You haven’t seen Klay Thompson score 37 points in one quarter. Or you didn’t see Klay Thompson like I did score 60 points in 32 minutes.

“You don’t see James Harden come down the lane and dunking on whoever’s standing there. It’s just amazing how these guys are playing the game today, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. The game’s in a good place. I tell all these young players coming in today, ‘Keep the game the way you found it, and it can go on for generations to come’,” Bird said.

Bird is not wrong. The game has come a long way. With the passing of each and every season, the sport only continues to evolve. However, the older players continue to criticize the modern players for issues such as physicality, soft calls, and load management. Most of the time, it feels like their destructive remarks are born out of jealousy.

Bird is one of the all-time greats

Larry Bird is one of the greatest players that has ever set foot on the hardwood. Standing at 6ft 9″, the forward could dominate the board, had an accurate jump shot, and had a high basketball IQ. Being a versatile player allowed the sharpshooter to dominate his era.

The Indiana State alum retired with one of the most stellar resumes – 12 All-Stars, 10 All-NBAs, three MVPs, three titles, and two Finals MVPs. It’s great to see that a legend from the past kept his pride aside to praise the players from the modern NBA. Despite being one of the players regarded as the GOAT, Bird had the humility to recognize and admit that the league was far more skilled.

In fact, Bird himself has served as one of the frameworks upon which the current players have worked on and improved their games. They took from his passing and shooting skills, and improved on them to suit the modern-day NBA. As long as legends like Larry Bird side with the ‘current’ players, it would be easier for the players to turn a deaf ear to the hate from the ‘old school’ stars.