In an article originally published by the New York Times on 1987, the then teammates Dennis Rodman and Isiah Thomas talked about why do they think Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird won multiple MVP awards.
The Chicago Bulls legend went straight forward and said that the three-time MVP (Bird) won his MPV awards because he’s basically white. He added that Bird wasn’t even the best player in the league.
“He’s not God. He ain’t the best player in the NBA, not to me… He’s white. That’s the reason he gets it the MVP award. Nobody gives Magic Johnson credit. He deserved it last year, too. I don’t care. Go ahead and tell him. You’ll put it in the paper anyway.” Rodman said.
Even Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas agreed on Rodman’s take on why Bird has won three straight MVP awards.
“I think Larry is a very, very good basketball player. He’s an exceptional talent. But I have to agree with Rodman. If he were black, he’d be just another good guy.” The 1990 NBA Finals MVP said.
The Celtics and the Pistons were one of the rivals in the Eastern Conference that time. In fact, Bird and the Celtics beat the Pistons in 1985 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Celtics won the series 4-2.
Bird won the MVP awards on 1984 , 1985 and 1986. He had also won three NBA championships with the Celtics in which he was named Finals MVP twice.
Here are Larry Bird’s numbers during the years he won the MVP awards.
1983-1984 season: 24.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks on 38 minutes. Celtics Record: 62-20 (best record in the league)
1984-1985 season: 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.6 assits, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks on almost 40 minutes per game. Celtics Record: 63-19 (best record in the league)
1985-1986 season: 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 2 steals and 0.6 blocks on 39 minutes per game. Celtics Record: 67-15 (best record in the league)
Bird and Magic Johnson had a close MVP run during the 1984-1985 season where Magic averaged 23.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 12.2 assists and 1.7 steals.
The Lakers had the second best record in the league that year. They were just one win away from tying the Celtics for the best NBA record. The Lakers though, won and beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals that year.
Bird had a short NBA career where he just played 12 seasons. He suddenly retired on 1992 due to a compressed nerve root in his back, at the age of 36 years old. Prior to his retirement, Bird was still averaging 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists on 37 minutes per game.
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