Dennis Rodman: 'Hell No' Larry Bird Wouldn't Be in Today's NBA, 'He'd Be in Europe'

Dennis Rodman was apparently never much of a Larry Bird fan.

The Hall of Fame defensive specialist said Bird would not hack it in the modern NBA during an appearance on VladTV.

"If Larry Bird played in this era, I think he'd be in Europe," Rodman said. "He'd be somewhere over there. His game was fit for Boston at that time in the '80s and stuff like that. Today's world, oh hell no. There's no way. I'm not downplaying him 'cause he's a great player at that time, just like I was. But I'm saying, no, there's no way.

"I think the kid from Denver [Nikola Jokić] is way better than [Bird]. Oh my god. He's slow as hell, but that guy's got a game. I think he's better than Larry Bird in this day and age."

This is not the first time Rodman has come at Bird. During the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Rodman said Bird received a lion's share of praise due to his race rather than his on-court skill.

When asked to look back on that comment, Rodman said it came out of frustration at his Pistons losing to the Celtics.

"I was just saying anything. I was frustrated because—guess what—I got my ass whooped by this kid," Rodman said. "That's why I probably said something like that, not because I was angry or out of hatred, no, it just came out like that."

Bird played 15 regular-season games against Rodman during his career, posting averages of 24.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists. In 18 playoff contests, Bird averaged 20.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists.

By contrast, Rodman's regular season (10.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists) and postseason (6.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists) paled in comparison.