Fair or not, Dirk Nowitzki always gets compared to Larry Bird (hint: it’s because they’re both white). But from one legend’s perspective, there’s no comparison to be made. In a recent interview with The Dallas Morning News, Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar responded candidly to that pedestrian line of inquiry:
“No way. No way that Dirk Nowitzki is better than Larry, and Dirk is a first-rate — he’s an All-Star. Absolutely any time he’s been on the All-Star team, he’s deserved it. But Larry, I think, had more going in terms of leadership. If you take the 48 minutes of the game, for every second on that clock, Larry knew where to be on the court to be the most effective for his team. And Dirk doesn’t play the game that way. He’s a volume shooter. He’s a streak shooter and he’s wonderful at that — and he’s had a great career; I’m not trying to knock him, but Larry is one of a kind.”
We might argue that Dirk is quite a bit better than just a streak or volume shooter, but probably nobody outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth area would disagree with Abdul-Jabbar’s placement of Bird above Dirk in the pantheon of all-time greats, despite the fact that Dirk (#7) is numerous slots above Bird (#31) on the list of all-time scorers.
However, one of Dirk’s new teammates thinks he’s far from finished. Here’s what Deron Williams had to say in a separate interview with The Dallas Morning News:
“It’s going to be great. Dirk can play til he’s 50 the way he shoots the ball…I’ve always had a lot of respect for his game, and what he brings to the court. I’m definitely excited as a point guard to play with somebody of his caliber.”
If he can, by some miracle, coax even a fraction of that longevity out of his remaining career and win a few more championships (both of which are highly unlikely), then it might be a debate. But at his apex, Bird won three consecutive MVP awards. Not even Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan can say that, and Dirk certainly can’t.
(via The Dallas Morning News)
