Even Laker general manager Jerry West, who refuses to compare players from different eras, says of Bird, "He is as nearly perfect as you can get in almost every phase of basketball." Bird's play over the recent weeks has revealed an athlete at the height of his powers. When Kevin McHale went down with a heel injury, Bird just gritted his teeth
By Harvey Araton. June 8, 2022. When Bill Walton revived and concluded his N.B.A. career with the Boston Celtics, he devised a plan on game nights to beat the city’s notoriously gridlocked The town was protecting Bird, whose father had died by suicide when Bird was 18. They were protecting this basketball star who had made it to the premier college team at IU but, unexpectedly, quit. So The best Player in the 60’s Wilt Chamberlain, best Player in the 70’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, best Players in 80’s Magic Johnson & Larry Bird, best Player in 90’s Michael Jordan, best Players in 2000 – 2005 Shaquille O’Neal, best Player in 2006 – 2011 Kobe Bryant, best Player 2012 – 2016 LeBron James, best Player 2017 4agH.