“Bird is an assassin, LeBron misses a little bit of that gene” - Chris Russo says he will take Larry Bird in the ‘peak of his career’ over LeBron James

LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James just keeps piling on to his resume of impressive accomplishments. One of the best to ever step on the court, James continues to break records set by some of the greatest NBA players in history.

Throughout his career, James has had his legacy compared to the game's other greats. With LeBron chasing down the all-time scoring record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it's only going to make the case for his ranking among the greats even stronger among fans and sports analysts.

On ESPN's "First Take," sports analyst Chris Russo said that in comparing Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird to James in their prime, he would take Bird for his ability to perform in the clutch.

"Bird is an assassin, LeBron misses a little bit of that gene," Russo said Wednesday.

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LeBron James continuing to build his legacy against NBA legends

Enter caption Enter caption LeBron James, left, and Michael Jordan at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game

ESPN's "First Take" went into detail about how LeBron James and Larry Bird are two of the game's most dangerous players. While LeBron is one of the greatest players in NBA history, there's still plenty of debate when comparing him to the league's best players.

Analyst Chris Russo said James will most likely end up as a better "all-time player" than Bird. But Russo stressed that if he needed a player to win a playoff series or a deciding game, he would go with the Boston Celtics legend.

The comparison between the two players is notable. Bird went 3-2 in the NBA Finals. James has a Finals record of 4-6. Bird was twice the MVP in the championship series, while James is a four-time NBA Finals MVP. Bird was the league MVP three times, while James has had the honor four times.

James, an 18-time All-Star, is a generational talent who has transformed the sport of basketball. He's on pace to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, a record that has stood since 1989. His numbers and accomplishments continue to pile up, only making his case as one of the all-time greats even stronger.

Bird, a Hall of Famer, played only 13 seasons. He was an All-Star in 12 of those (only failing to earn the honor in 1988-89, when he was limited to six games). He was on the All-Defensive team three times.

sive team three times.

sive team three times.