“Luka and Dirk are great players, but they are not Larry Bird.” – Michael Jordan claims Larry Bird’s work ethic was much above the game.

Michael Jordan joined the NBA at the height of the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry. As the Chicago Bulls competed in the East Conference, “His Airness” faced up against “Larry Legend” several times during the regular season and playoffs. The Celtics’ stronger lineup and expertise gave Bird a clear advantage over Jordan in head-to-head matchups.

However, Bird wasn’t only relying on his teammates to carry him. The Celtics’ franchise player transformed the Green Machine into one of the greatest teams in NBA history. So, how excellent was “The Hick from French Lick” in his prime?Jackie McMullan of The Ringer’s Icons Club brought up a classic of Michael Jordan’s thoughts on his rival:

“I get a lot of questions about Larry Bird. ‘Was he really that good?’ I say, “Yeah!” He was actually that good. He was actually that wonderful, whether white, black, green, or yellow! When you watch a player like Luka or Dirk, they are tremendous players, but they are not Larry Bird [laughs], by any means.”

“You have to have a lot of respect to play against someone who is athletically inferior every night. But, mentally and in terms of work ethic, he was well ahead of the competition.

Coming from Michael Jordan himself, that was the highest compliment any athlete could receive. Many consider MJ to be the best to ever play the game, and he had a front-row seat to the epic exploits of the man known as the “Great White Hope” for the Boston Celtics.Bird was named Rookie of the Year in 1980, defeating his longtime nemesis Magic Johnson in the voting. The next year, he led the Boston Celtics to their first of three titles in his tenure. Even more astounding was Larry Bird’s performance from 1980 to 1989. He was already a dark horse for MVP in his rookie season and never finished lower than fourth in the yearly best player award. Larry Legend was a lock at the top.

Michael Jordan seen personally what the athletically limited Bird could accomplish when he was at his peak. It made such an effect on “His Airness” that he confessed to acquiring his vicious trash talk from the master himself.