In a clash of generations that has set the basketball world on fire, Los Angeles Lakers legend Michael Cooper has delivered a scorching rebuke to JJ Redick following the podcaster and former player’s controversial comments about Larry Bird. Redick, known for his hot takes and analytical approach to the modern game, recently stirred the pot by claiming Larry Bird shouldn’t be considered one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time and arguing that the physicality of the 1980s is vastly overrated.
For Michael Cooper, a five-time NBA champion and renowned defensive stopper who spent his career battling Bird’s Boston Celtics, these comments weren’t just an opinion—they were an insult to the history of the game.
The “Journeyman” Jibe
Cooper didn’t pull any punches in his response, launching a personal attack on Redick’s own NBA credentials to discredit his analysis. In a segment that can only be described as a verbal takedown, Cooper stripped away Redick’s authority on the matter.
“This kid here who was a journeyman, played for six different teams, all his accolades came in college,” Cooper said, dismantling Redick’s resume. “Played 15 years in the NBA, was being shifted around from team to team because all he could do was shoot, and he wasn’t that great of a shooter.”
The insult that likely stung the most was Cooper’s comparison of Redick to another Celtics rival: “He was a poor man’s Danny Ainge.” By framing Redick as a lesser version of a role player from the very era he was criticizing, Cooper effectively tried to silence the “new media” narrative that often dismisses the skill level of past generations.
“I Would Have Locked You Up”
The core of Redick’s argument—that the physicality of the 80s wasn’t significantly different from today’s game where Steph Curry gets grabbed off the ball—was met with pure incredulity by Cooper. The former Defensive Player of the Year, who made a living hounding the best perimeter players on the planet, laughed off the notion that Redick could have survived, let alone thrived, in the 1980s.
“JJ Redick, if you had played in the 80s… I’d have locked you up,” Cooper declared. “You wouldn’t have got a shot off. You wouldn’t have got nothing off. You had spent more time on the bench than on the floor.”
Cooper emphasized that the rules of engagement were fundamentally different. “When you can put your hand on a guy’s hip and make him go a certain way, if you can put that elbow in his chest to slow him up… so many guys can deal with that type of pressure,” he explained. He contrasted this with today’s “freedom of movement” rules where touching a shooter is an automatic foul, suggesting Redick’s career benefited heavily from a softer whistle.
A History Lesson in Violence
To prove his point about physicality, Cooper and supporters of the “old school” point to the brutal reality of 80s basketball—a time when rivalries were fueled by genuine hatred rather than jersey swaps. The article highlights iconic moments of violence that went unpunished or resulted in mere common fouls, such as Kevin McHale’s infamous clothesline on Kurt Rambis in the 1984 Finals or Robert Parish punching Bill Laimbeer.
“After games, nobody was hugging or swapping jerseys. Players walked off mad, bruised, and ready for the next fight,” the narrative goes. Cooper argues that Redick’s comparison of modern “holding” to 80s “combat” shows a complete lack of understanding of what players like Bird had to endure to get their shots off.
Context Over Spreadsheets
The backlash against Redick also highlights a growing frustration with “spreadsheet analysis” that ignores historical context. Redick’s argument relied heavily on volume—Bird made only 82 threes in his best season—but Cooper argues this ignores the style of the era. The 80s was an “inside-out” game dominated by post-play.
“Bird didn’t put up massive three-point numbers because that wasn’t his role,” the counter-argument states. “Threes didn’t matter back then… today’s game is a full-blown three-point shootout.”
Cooper stood firmly on the side that greatness is about dominance relative to your peers and the ability to hit big shots—something Bird was legendary for—rather than raw statistical accumulation in a completely different offensive environment.
Respecting the Architects
Ultimately, Cooper’s explosive rant is about respect. He noted that while he “hated” Larry Bird during their playing days, he respected the hell out of him. He views the current generation’s dismissal of the past not just as wrong, but as ungrateful.
“It’s sad because… you have to have respect from where this game come from,” Cooper lamented. He reminded everyone that today’s players are “living, playing, breathing off the shoulders” of legends like Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, and yes, Larry Bird.
In the end, Michael Cooper’s message to JJ Redick was loud and clear: You can analyze the numbers all you want, but unless you stood on that court and took the hits, you don’t get to rewrite history. And for a “journeyman” to come for the “King of Trash Talk,” well, that’s a battle JJ Redick was never going to win.
