Robert Parish Says LeBron, KD, Kawhi Aren't in 'Same Conversation' as Larry Bird in Trending Video

Basketball Hall of Famer Robert Parish isn't down for anyone trying to put modern superstars ahead of Larry Bird on a list of the NBA's greatest players.

Appearing on FanDuel TV's Run It Back, Parish declared that players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard are "not in the same conversation" as Bird.

Parish didn't have much of an explanation for why he felt that way, other than to say it's "hard to get a seat at that table" when talking about the best of the best in NBA history.

There's certainly some bias baked into Parish's declaration because he played next to Bird with the Boston Celtics for 12 seasons from 1980-81 to 1991-92.

The Celtics won three titles and reached the Finals in two other years during that period.

When you're talking about players at the level of Bird, James, Durant and Leonard, there's not very much delineating one from the other. Leonard could get knocked for how injuries have impacted his career, but his 792 games played has him on track to surpass Bird (897) within the next two years if he stays healthy.

The combination of longevity and high-level play from James and Durant is one of the most remarkable things about both of them. Bird retired at the age of 35 due in part to back injuries, though he still finished 14th in MVP voting in his final season.

Bird's style of play would have been fascinating to see in this era of basketball. He averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.

No matter where one wants to put players like Bird, James, Durant and Leonard on a ranking of all-time greats, there's no argument against any of them not being on the list. It's just a matter of what order you want to put them, with Parish clearly preferring Bird.