MICHAEL Jordan once offered a bold take in the GOAT debate back in 2009, saying Larry Bird was better than LeBron James.
Picking the best five players of all time, Jordan put Bird in and explained no small forward could compare with the Boston Celtics legend.
Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan picked Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird ahead of LeBron James to his top-five all-time in 2009Credit:
Since then, James has won four NBA titles and claimed the MVP award four times
Since then, James has won four NBA titles and claimed the MVP award four timesCredit: Getty
However, Jordan made the claim in the 2009 book When the Game Was Ours by Jackie MacMullan, just as James was claiming his first MVP trophy but even before he won his first NBA title.
Jordan said: “Larry was a debate. He still is.
“People ask me all the time who my all-time five top players are, and when I start saying Larry, they interrupt me.
“They say, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. He can’t play with LeBron James!’