"Our sportscasters were playing the Superman theme when talking about him" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on why he was always impressed with Larry Bird

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played a long career in the NBA from 1969 to 1989. During that time, Cap competed against many superstars, giving him a unique perspective of the league's star players.

The master of the skyhook knew some of the best athletes at the time, but Larry Bird was always a star he respected. Kareem even called Larry the best player he played against during his career.

“I remember the game he played against the Lakers, the first year the Celtics won the championship with him on the team. He was ridiculous. Our sportscasters were playing the Superman theme when talking about him,” Kareem said on The Jump in 2017.

“He did everything, points, rebounds, assists, steals, you name it. Larry had such a great mind for the game. I had a lot of respect for him as a competitor.”

Kareem played against many superstars

Abdul-Jabbar’s praise of Bird shows how good Larry was during his heyday. He played with and against some top players, including Oscar Robertson, Julius Erving, Bob McAdoo, and more. Kareem saying Larry was the best player he faced confirms his opinion that the Celtics legend was indeed on a different level.

Bird was a three-time regular season MVP, winning it consecutively in the mid-1980s. He deserved to be a superstar, as he impacted every facet of the game. He could defend but was also a standout offensive player with his scoring and playmaking. He could do everything on the court, helping the Celtics win three titles during the ‘80s.

The Hick from French Lick deserved that kind of praise because he was a phenomenal player. Only his rival and Kareem’s teammate Earvin “Magic” Johnson is the arguable player who was neck-and-neck with Larry Legend during that decade.

Bird made it tough for the Lakers to win during the 1980s

Since Bird was the Celtics’ superstar during that decade, Kareem and Magic had to contend with a challenging rival from the Eastern Conference. They faced each other three times in the NBA Finals, with the Lakers winning twice while the Celtics won once.

It was always a heated battle between the two teams because they consisted of star talent headlined by the three names. Bird was the best player for the Celtics and was always a tough matchup for the Lakers. They put Michael Cooper on him as the defensive specialist, but Magic would also try his hand at guarding his rival.

The Celtics vs. Lakers matchups were always fun because they re-ignited the rivalry between the NBA’s two most successful franchises.

The multiple Finals series proved Kareem needed to conclude that Bird was the best player he played against. It was massive praise from a top-five player like Kareem, but that confirms that Bird earned a top spot in the NBA’s history.