Former NBA player and Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman recently made headlines after boldly stating a controversial take in a recent podcast appearance about Larry Bird. According to the six-time champion, Bird would be in Europe if he played in this era. Rodman thinks that Bird’s game wouldn’t have thrived in the modern NBA and that even current Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is better than the three-time champion.

Rodman’s comments caught many off guard, including Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard who believes that Rodman is just speaking out of spite because Bird has gotten the best of him in the past.

“Rodman is way way off on this. I think we have to address that Rodoman, for some reason, maybe because Larry Bird has beat him, he doesn’t like Larry Bird. You remember when Detroit met Boston in the Eastern Conference in 1987, and Boston beat him in seven games. After the seventh game, that’s when Rodman said that Bird is overrated and basically he’s getting all these accolades and love because he’s white, and if he was black, he’d just be kind of another player now,” Broussard said in his latest podcast titled “The Odd Couple.”

Rodman hasn’t gotten over the fact that Bird beat him

Broussard also added that the reason why Dennis the Menace feels a certain way about Bird is because the latter was clearly the best player in that Celtics and Detroit Pistons series in 1987. In that series, Larry led Boston as he averaged a near triple-double of 27.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 10.4 rebounds per game. The Celtics won game 7 by just four points.

“Now, mind you, moments earlier, Bird had just dropped 37 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds on Rodman, but everybody remembers that as Isiah Thomas got involved and kind of seconded what Rodman said, and it became a big deal,” Broussard added.

Broussard thinks Bird would have thrived in this era

Contrary to what Rodman believes, Broussard added that Bird would actually have thrived in this era of the NBA — where three-point shooting and playmaking are more valuable. Bird’s skills would’ve been perfect for a forward in the modern era, and that’s why the analyst feels that Rodman is completely way off with this controversial take.

“I think he’s out of his mind. Bird, if he played today, might be better than he was in his day because he’d be shooting more three-pointers, and he’s one of the greatest shooters ever. He was a phenomenal player and a better passer than LeBron [James], and I don’t think it’s even a discussion.”

Broussard has a point in stating why Rodman may feel a certain way for Bird hence his controversial comments. After all, not many former NBA players have completely gotten over the hurdles they faced during their playing years. Just like what Broussard said, maybe in Rodman’s case, getting beaten by the Celtics and Bird still leaves a bad taste in his mouth.