Michael Jordan and Larry Bird significantly contributed to the NBA’s growth, each with their unique strengths. The five-time MVP was renowned for his exceptional scoring ability, while Larry Legend was known for his multifaceted ways to make a game-winning impact.
Lee Smith, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and one of the greatest relief pitchers, shared an unprecedented passion for basketball and had the opportunity to play alongside both legends. However, his preference for MJ over the three-time MVP was for an unexpected and uncommon reason.
Smith had a peculiar reason
It is important to note that Smith was not unfamiliar with basketball, having played at Northwestern State. During his appearance on the ‘GM Files’ podcast, when questioned about his preference between Bird and Jordan as a playing partner, Lee had a definite choice.
“Well, you know what, I liked playing a lot more with Michael because he passed,” Smith said, as quoted by SportsCasting. “He passed more than Larry did.”
Smith’s rationale for preferring Mike seems counterintuitive when considering the 6’6″ shooting guard’s playing style. While “His Airness” was clearly renowned for his scoring ability, having led the league in scoring in 10 seasons, he was not particularly known as an elite playmaker.
In ‘The Last Dance’ documentary, the six-time Finals MVP acknowledged his initial skepticism towards Phil Jackson’s philosophy only because he wanted to take the ball out of Mike’s hands and make him pass the ball to his teammates more. Furthermore, in 10 of the 13 seasons with the Bulls, the New York native did not lead the team in assists.
On the other hand, Bird clearly didn’t possess the athleticism to hold an edge over his competitors. However, he reigned as the league’s best player in the ’80s by using basketball acumen, which involved making elite plays and involving his teammates more in the game.
Not only did it seem like the Indiana native had eyes at the back of his head as he was easily able to start fast break attacks for the Celtics, but after Tiny Archibald parted ways with Boston, the 12-time All-Star went on to lead the team in assists in four of the next seven seasons.
Furthermore, in a direct comparison, Larry averaged 1.0 assists per game more than Michael despite never being the Celtics’ primary ball handler.
Smith played along with other NBA stars as well
Nevertheless, Smith’s experience playing alongside both Bird and Mike is already indicative of his caliber as a player. Additionally, he mentioned having played with other notable stars, such as Danny Ainge and Robert Parish.
Given this context, it is particularly intriguing that Smith would choose Jordan for such an unconventional reason, especially considering his exposure to numerous elite players. Perhaps Smith, too, was fortunate enough to gain Jordan’s trust as significantly as Steve Kerr did during the 1997 NBA Finals.