Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

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Larry Bird, Boston Celtics. Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images /

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 9 – Larry Bird

On NBA 50 at 50 List

Career: 1979 – 1992

Achievements: Three-time champion; Three-time MVP; All-NBA (10x); All-Star (12x); All-Defense (3x); Finals MVP (2x)

Larry Bird was the other half of the “Bird and Magic” duo, the farmboy from French Lick, Indiana contrasting the flashy LA superstar. Bird had something of an “aww, shucks” demeanor to him off the court. On the court? He was a killer.

Bird could score from anywhere, even the nascent 3-point line. He sometimes would tell defenders ahead of time where he was going to shoot from, then embarrass them by doing just that. He never had the level of star power alongside him that Magic did, but he was right there in the Finals dueling him just the same. Magic won a pair of titles early while Kareem was still in his prime, but after that, they evened out, three titles apiece, and Bird won two of the three head-to-head matchups in the Finals.

Injuries to his back ended his career well shy of the other all-time greats, and one thinks about what could have been if modern medicine and injury management were around then. Even so, during his prime, there was no better scorer in the NBA, no more lethal assassin, and perhaps no better trash talker. Bird was incredible to watch, and together he and Magic turned basketball into something powerful.