Why Larry Bird couldn’t have behaved like Michael Jordan is explained by Robert Parish.

Why Larry Bird couldn’t have behaved like Michael Jordan is explained by Robert Parish.

“The Chief” is angry that MJ’s teammates lacked the courage to confront him, stating that even Larry was unable to handle his squad in such a manner.

In the NBA, Michael Jordan is well-known for his demanding presence and leadership style. While some respect his unrivaled competitive spirit, others don’t quite get that MJ went beyond the bounds of good taste when he had to correct his teammates. NBA icon Robert Parish thought that was unacceptable because, in his lengthy career, he had never seen such from anybody else, even from playing alongside the greatest player of all time, Larry Bird.

In the NBA community, Robert Parish’s tale of defying Michael Jordan during his final season is well-known, as it was likely the only occasion on which MJ ever retaliated against an opponent. Jordan could put the other players to the test, but it was a bad idea for Michael to mess with a 9-time All-Star and 4-time champion who was in his 40s.

We all seen how Jordan didn’t hesitate to verbally abuse and target anyone in the documentary The Last Dance, including Scott Burrell, Ron Harper, Toni Kukoč, Horace Grant, and other role players. Pippen and Rodman were the only men who MJ respected, but Parish joined that exclusive group that day even though he had only played one season in Chicago.

Larry Bird was the leader of that team, but his approach to being the voice in the locker room was vastly different than Michael’s. Despite being one of the best players in history, Larry only talked trash with his opponents and led by example, never screaming in the ears of his teammates. You could say it was utterly different than MJ, but it still produced numerous championships.

It’s safe to argue that playing in that environment makes things easier and more laid back for the other players. For this reason, Parish said he appreciated Bird’s leadership style even more. Furthermore, Bird couldn’t have handled his teammates the same way that Jordan did, even if he had wanted to, since they wouldn’t have given up so readily.

Jordan became known as the voice of strictness in large part because Phil Jackson gave the players the authority to govern the Bulls’ locker room in the 1990s:

“MJ just ran with it because he was the one who teased those guys.” What worries me about that is that the teammates didn’t have the guts to speak up about it. We never would have taken that from Larry, man. Larry was our leader, so there was no way we were going to put up with that kind of conduct from him. We cannot put up with that. I find the ass-kissing offensive.”