Image via Complex Original
If you’re tall, white, and can shoot a basketball exceptionally well, you are invariably going to be compared to Larry Bird. Yesterday’s birthday boy, Bird, was so much more than just a shooter; he was an exceptional passer, a cagey force on the glass, and an innovator in the “creepy mustache” game. He also won three MVP awards, was an All-Star 12 times, and made nine All-NBA first teams. At Bird’s retirement ceremony, Magic Johnson put it best when he said “there will never, ever, ever be another Larry Bird.”
But that hasn’t stopped fans and media from trying to anoint one anyway.
It seems like every few years since Bird’s retirement, a new player comes into the NBA who everybody thinks will be the next Bird. And yet, over 20 years since Larry Legend called it quits, we’re still no closer to finding somebody whose game is as complete as the one he had. Whether it’s Christian Laettner, Adam Morrison, or Joe Alexander, plenty of guys have come along who simply didn’t have it. Here are 10 Athletes Who Were Not “The Next Larry Bird.”
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Wally Szczerbiak
Career: 1999-2009
Stats: 651 G, 14.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Wally Szczerbiak became a household name during the 1999 NCAA Tournament, where he helped guide his 10th-seeded Miami of Ohio team to the Sweet 16. His ability to score (he had 43 in their first round win) made Szczerbiak a media darling, and his outsized performance while playing for a relatively unknown school drew ample comparisons to Larry Bird. Things didn’t quite work out that way for Wally, though; chosen with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft by Minnesota, he would make just one All-Star team as a pro and, while still a solid player, bounced around the league throughout his career.
Joe Alexander
Career: 2008-2010
Stats: 67 G, 4.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
It’s interesting that in the pantheon of NBA Draft busts, you don’t hear Joe Alexander’s name more. Selected No. 8 overall out of West Virginia by Milwaukee in 2008, Alexander drew hyperbolic comparisons not just to Bird, but to another prominent West Virginia alum: Jerry West. It certainly looks like those comparisons might have been a bit misguided, however, as Alexander hasn’t even played in an NBA game since 2010. He has instead bounced between Russia and the D-League, something Bird did not ever have to do.
Adam Morrison
Career: 2006-2010
Stats: 161 G, 7.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG
With his long hair, creepy/whispy mustache, and high scoring totals, Adam Morrison seemed like the perfect Bird doppelgänger when he entered the NBA out of Gonzaga in 2006. Taken with the third pick in the draft and expected to help turn the Bobcats into a contender, Morrison flopped about as egregiously as his hair, shooting just 37% his rookie year and playing defense that would make even James Harden shake his head in disbelief. He did get two rings with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, although you probably could have gotten a ring playing as much as Morrison did (0 playoff minutes in 2009, 12 in two blowouts in 2010).
Doug McDermott
Career: 2014-Present
Stats: 17 G, 3.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.1 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG
It’s still early for Doug McDermott, so all is not lost. However, it should be pretty apparent from watching him that this is probably not the next Bird. He earned his nickname “Dougie McBuckets” on the strength of his tremendous shooting, but that stroke has largely been absent as he’s making the adjustment to the NBA. McDermott is currently converting at just a 42 percent rate, including a very poor 23 percent from three point range, and is already battling a knee injury that won’t make things any easier for him. We’re still in the early days of his career, but this isn’t an ideal start.
Danny Ferry
Career: 1989-2003
Stats: 917 G, 7.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Danny Ferry held on for a very long career, a testament to the fact that somewhere inside of him was a star ready to break out. Ferry’s career with Duke had seen him garner many Bird comparisons due to his shooting, passing, and court vision, and is why the Clippers used the No. 2 overall pick on him in 1989. Wisely, Ferry had no desire to play for the Clippers and actually spent the first year of his career playing in Italy before Los Angeles traded him to the Cavaliers. Ferry never fulfilled his potential, however, averaging double-digit points in a season just twice (1996 and 1997) and having a tough time even locking down a regular place in the starting lineup.
Troy Murphy
Career: 2001-2012
Stats: 729 G, 10.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG
A huge scorer in college, Troy Murphy came to the NBA in 2001 with many expecting him to become a prolific NBA scorer as well. A two-time Big East Player of the Year, Murphy was taken in the first round at No. 14 by the Warriors and struggled initially as a rookie. His second season was likely his best in the NBA, as he averaged a double-double and narrowly missed out on the Most Improved Player award. While he went on to have a solid career as a bench scorer for several teams, Murphy never developed into the All-Star everyone had hoped.
Keith Van Horn
Career: 1997-2006
Stats: 575 G, 16.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG
While always a regular contributor and a solid player, Keith Van Horn was supposed to be a star when the 76ers drafted him No. 2 overall and sent him to the Nets on draft night. Having led the University of Utah to the No. 2 spot in the polls by the end of his senior season and winning the ESPN Men’s College Player of the Year award, he was viewed as a guy who would be perennial All-Star at worst and a Hall of Famer at best. That never happened for Van Horn, though, as injuries prevented him from truly making the leap into stardom. He did manage to wrangle a six-year, $75 million contract out of the Nets, however, so he was at least compensated rather well.
Mike Dunleavy
Career: 2002-Present
Stats: 859 G, 11.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Mike Dunleavy has had a perfectly solid career, never wanting for work and contributing regularly at each of his four NBA stops. The Warriors had hoped for a bit more than that, though, when they snagged him at No. 3 overall in the 2002 NBA Draft out of Duke. Dunleavy was always solid for the Warriors, but many were scratching their heads when he was handed a five year, $44 million extension on his rookie contract despite his relatively modest contributions to that point (around 10 points per game). While he’s always been a dependable scorer throughout his career, Dunleavy has never added the pieces to his game that would elevate him to All-Star status.
Christian Laettner
Career: 1992-2005
Stats: 868 G, 12.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.8 BPG
A man who made the 1992 Dream Team instead of Shaquille O’Neal, Christian Laettner is perhaps the greatest college basketball player of all time. He could do just about everything well on the court for Duke, winning two national championships and the National College Player of the Year award in 1992. The Timberwolves thought they were getting a franchise cornerstone when they drafted him No. 3 overall, but Laettner struggled to stay healthy on a regular basis throughout his NBA career. He did make one All-Star team, but never became the star everyone had assumed he would.
Austin Croshere
Career: 1997-2009
Stats: 659 G, 6.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Austin Croshere rode an outstanding NCAA Tournament performance for Providence College into becoming the No. 12 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, and for a while he actually looked like he might become a legitimate star player in the pros. He showed the Pacers enough for them to hand him a massive seven-year, $51 million contract extension following an average of 15.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in the 2000 NBA Finals, but that would prove to be his career high point. After the 2001 season, he would never average double-digit points again. Couple that with his relative lack of any other elite skills on the floor, and you had a very un-Bird-like player.