“We anticipate experiencing pain for many years to come,” said Larry Bird, comparing himself to Russell Westbrook.

Larry Bird believes that Russell Westbrook and he have the same mindset when it comes to playing hard each and every night.

Russell Westbrook, the superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers, is under investigation for apparent reasons. Russ’s inconsistent play on the floor since joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis last season has left fans horrified. While it’s still too early to draw firm judgments, it seems like the Westbrook of this season is not the same unwavering scorer who won the MVP award in 2017. Not at all like the player whom NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird once compared himself to.

Larry and Russ are similar.

Regarded as one of the most diligent athletes ever, Bird expressed his admiration for “players who compete nightly and really take the challenge to their opponents.” Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook was one of them.

 

“The Hick from French Lick” was asked if he thought he and Westbrook were similar in an exclusive Q&A with ESPN in 2015. Even though many considered Bird to be a player of a lifetime, he surprise thought that Russ and he had the same drive to perform at the best level every night.

 

“I was taught that you should play to win as soon as you get onto the court. Now, they shouldn’t keep score if it’s against the rules to play to win. I wouldn’t have played as hard in these games if they hadn’t kept score. But this is our job, I believe,” Bird said.

 

Bird also mentioned that, in his opinion, Westbrook and he were aware that their peak would soon disappear. But the only thing they knew to do was give it their all on the court.

We are aware that we will experience pain for years to come. He can’t help it, even though he knows he will be in pain for years to come,” he said. “He understands that in order to be effective, he must play that way.”

 

Was Russ wrong, as Larry claimed?

Regarding Westbrook, Bird might be correct. But that was back in 2015. It appears like Russ hasn’t been acting like the “Larry Legend” since joining the Laker organization.

 

Westbrook hit 1/12 from outside the arc and 11/38 from the field in his first three games this season. His shooting percentage has been inefficient at 28.9%.

 

All in all, it leads us to believe that Bird might have underestimated Westbrook’s skill set and attitude. Russ still has 79 games remaining to demonstrate that Bird was correct when he claimed they are somehow related.