"I was just saying anything"- Dennis Rodman reveals his thoughts behind his infamous 'Larry Bird is overrated' comments

Throughout his NBA career, Dennis Rodman was known to say and do some outlandish things. Among those bizarre acts was calling out a fellow Hall of Famer.

Before he was helping Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls cement their dynasty, Dennis Rodman began his career with the Detroit Pistons. During the stretch, the "Bad Boys" created chaos in the league with their extremely physical style of play.

When the Pistons were making their rise in the NBA ranks, Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics were one of the main teams in their way. This led to Rodman making some interesting comments about the star forward at the time. He felt Bird was overrated and the only reason he got publicity was because of the color of his skin.

During a recent appearance on "Vlad TV," Rodman was asked about this infamous comment about Bird. The Hall of Fame forward said the reason he likely said those things is because of what Bird had done to him on the court:

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"I was just saying anything. I was frustrated because I got my a** whooped by this kid. So that's probably why I said that not because I was angry or hatred or something like that."

Dennis Rodman has absurd Larry Bird take

While Dennis Rodman said he doesn't feel Larry Bird is overrated, some of his other comments might suggest otherwise. Despite being seen as one of the 15 greatest players ever, he feels the Boston Celtics star wouldn't last in today's game.

Later in the interview, Rodman was asked about Gilbert Arenas' comments that Bird could beat LeBron James one-on-one. In response, Rodman stated that if Bird was a pro today he'd be playing in Europe and not the NBA:

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"I'll put it this way, if Larry Bird played in this era, I think he'd be in Europe.

"His game was fit for Boston at that time in the 80s and stuff like that. Today's world? Hell no, there's no way."

Rodman finished off these comments by saying that he feels Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is better than Bird.

In a time where 3-point shooting has become the focal point of most offenses. it's hard to think Bird couldn't play today. He is still seen as one of the best shooters ever, and he played a time where the 3-point shot was just being created. If he had the freedom that players today have, one could argue he'd be even better on the offensive end.

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