Larry Bird is an NBA legend: a three-time NBA champion, three-time MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and a three-time All-Defensive Team member. Yet, despite his lofty achievements and legendary tales of trash-talking and late-game heroics, his former teammate Robert Parish feels that he is woefully underrated.
Yes, Bird is universally loved and considered one of the greatest to ever play the sport. However, while Michael Jordan is often cited as the greatest ever and Magic Johnson is hailed as the greatest point guard the game has ever seen, Bird doesn't have a label of his own.
Parish and Bird played 12 seasons together on the Boston Celtics , forming a formidable frontcourt combo that laid waste to any defense in front of them. After winning three rings and going through so many epic battles for the Celtics, Parish has seen firsthand Bird's mettle and the cloth that he's made of.
And according to him, there's no doubt that Bird was one of the best.
"No doubt. Best of the best. Now I say this often. Larry is seriously underrated in my opinion. They should talk about Larry Bird like they do Magic," Parish said . "Like they do Jordan, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), (Bill) Russell and (Wilt) Chamberlain. Larry's in that conversation. Moses (Malone)."
"Yeah, he's the best of the best. He's at that table," he added. "And then the rest of us."
When people discuss the things Bird did great during his glory days, the first thing they mention is his unwavering confidence in crunch time. No matter how big the moment was, he rose to the occasion and delivered when it mattered most.
However, when asked what impressed him most about his teammate, Parish didn't hesitate to mention his passing ability.
"He was slower, but mentally he was so far ahead and that vision. He saw everything, he saw the play development and his playmaking ability, that's what I admire most about Larry," Parish commented. "You had to respect Larry because of his shooting ability, and his passing. As you know, his vision was amazing. I always thought that he's one of the uh the best passing forwards I have ever seen."
Bird never led the league in assists. He averaged 6.3 dimes during his 13-year NBA career, with his career-high being 7.6 during the 1986-97 season. However, he thrived at making the right read and throwing the pass at the right time.
His timing was impeccable, and his passes were so sublime they belonged in a museum. To be clear, Magic's passes had flair and flash, while Larry had purpose and impact. You can ask the Chief about it; he certainly scored his fair share of easy points from Larry's on-point dimes.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
