Robert Parish gives his take on who is the greatest small forward ever: 'LeBron and Larry are 1A/1B, pick your poison'

Robert Parish won multiple championships with Larry Bird in Boston. The legendary center was there when Larry Legend became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win three straight NBA MVP awards.

Like most people, "The Chief" believes that Bird is the greatest small forward ever to play the game. But in 2017, when LeBron James was already a three-time champion and was eyeing a 7th consecutive NBA Finals appearance, the Boston Celtics Hall of Famer was left second-guessing.

"Larry Bird is the best small forward ever, but LeBron James is giving me 2nd thoughts," said Parish via SiriusXM NBA Radio. "LeBron & Larry are 1A/1B; pick your poison."

LeBron could do what Larry did

The Indiana native has always been the yardstick of measurement for NBA small forwards. Aside from winning three league MVP awards, "Larry Legend" led the Celtics to three championships during the 80s while winning the Finals MVP trophy in two of those title-winning campaigns.

However, in 2003, James entered the picture and changed the landscape. While the "Kodak" was a tweener between a power forward and a small forward, "King James" was a cross between a point guard and a small forward. He was as versatile as Larry and could do the things that Bird did. However, he was bigger, faster, and stronger.

In 2017, Bron already matched "the Hick from French Lick" in NBA titles won and has one more MVP and Finals MVP award than Larry. The Celtics legend also lasted only 13 seasons in the NBA, while LeBron was in his 14th year in the league and still going strong when "Chief" made his comparison.

MJ declared Bird better than Bron

But while Chief wanted to put LBJ in the same sentence as Larry, the widely accepted NBA GOAT, Michael Jordan, once proclaimed the Celtics legend better than any other small forward who has played the game, even LeBron. Mike also put the Indiana State stud among his Top five all-time players.

"People ask me all the time who my all-time five top players are," Mike said in the book "When The Game Was Ours." "And when I start saying Larry, they interrupt me. They say, 'You've got to be kidding me. He can't play with LeBron James!' I tell them, 'You guys don't get it. Larry is far better than any small forward who played the game, and to be honest, I'm still not sure if he is a small forward or a power forward.'"

It's worth noting, however, that Jordan made his statement early in his career. The book was published on January 1, 2009, which meant MJ said a while ago At that point, James was a five-time NBA All-Star who hadn't won anything yet. Perhaps Mike has a different opinion today, just as Parish changed his stance in 2017.