GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Larry Bird: the case for the GOAT

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    Larry Bird: the case for the GOAT

    Forward · Celtics · Born 7 December 1956, West Baden Springs, Indiana, USA · Career 1979–1992

    A sharpshooting, supremely clever forward who spent his whole career with the Boston Celtics, known for his passing, trash talk and clutch shooting.

    Career highlights

    Why Larry Bird could be the GOAT

    Bird won three straight MVPs from 1984 to 1986, a run only Russell and Wilt had matched. He could shoot, pass and rebound at an elite level, and his basketball IQ is legendary. At his peak, he was arguably the most complete forward the game had ever seen.

    What fans say

    Larry Bird is #7 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 9–6 head-to-head record from 157 NBA votes. See the full NBA GOAT ranking

    Larry Bird head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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      Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.