Larry Bird says he would play with Kobe Bryant if he wanted to win, LeBron James if he wanted to have fun

The “Who’s better?” debate between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant continues to rage at irrelevant times, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. For James and Bryant, the comparison must get old. The topic is a media favorite, however, which is why Bill Simmons asked Larry Bird about it during a recent interview for the B.S. Report.

“Well, probably Kobe, because of the fact that … well, of course he wouldn’t have been shooting as much as he does now … but his desire to win, his dedication, to always get better, uh, and he’s just, he’s just tough,” Bird said when asked if he would rather play with Kobe or LeBron. “He’s just a tough cat.

“But if you want to have fun — like I did with Bill Walton — play with LeBron. It would have probably been more fun to play with LeBron, but if you want to win and win and win, it’s Kobe. Not that LeBron’s not a winner, just that (Bryant’s) mindset is to go into every practice, every game, to get better.”

Obviously Kobe should feel more flattered by Bird’s comments than LeBron. I’d much rather be a winner than someone who is fun to play with. That being said, Bird’s comments make perfect sense. Bryant has won five championships and King James has yet to capture his first ring. LeBron gets the nod with things like video game rankings while Kobe has the respect of players around the league and has a better resume than anyone in the game.