Boston Celtics great Larry Bird saw the Los Angeles Lakers as the enemy during his playing days, but there's one current Laker he'd like on his side if he were playing today -- Kobe Bryant.

Appearing on "The B.S. Report" with Grantland.com's Bill Simmons, Bird said that LeBron James is one of the greatest players and we should all sit back and enjoy what he can do on the basketball court. He even calls him the best player in the league, but he's not the player he would go into battle with.

If he could choose any current player that he'd like to play a season with, who would it be, Bird was asked.

"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. "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 [Kobe's] mindset is to go into every practice, every game, to get better."

Bryant has won five championships with the Lakers, one short of the legend he's most often compared to, Michael Jordan. James joined the Miami Heat last season and fell short in the NBA Finals, leaving him searching for his first title.

The interview took place before Bryant passed former teammate Shaquille O'Neal and moved into fifth place on the NBA's career scoring list on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer with 29.4 points, has 28,601 career points.

Bird, who is president of basketball operations for the Pacers, won three titles, one of them over the Lakers. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1998. Comment on this story

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Uh........ If he implied LeBron is a loser didn't he also imply Walton was a loser? I guess he was young and dumb in 1977.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Larry Bird has no upper lip.

well...he kinda is...

Why is LeBron crying again? James also referenced Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird telling ESPN's Bill Simmons on "The B.S. Report" that, while James is the league's best player, Bird would prefer to play with Bryant.

"It's simple, (Kobe) has five rings and I have none so it's easy to say that," James said. "If I had five rings and Kobe had none, it'd probably be the other way around.

"I'm an easy target; if someone wants to get a point across -- just throw LeBron's name in there," James said. "You could be watching cartoons with your kids and you don't like it, you say, 'Blame it on LeBron.' If you go to the grocery store and they don't have the milk that you like, you just say, 'It's LeBron's fault.

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No shit LeBron. He's just now realizing that winning championships means more than stats?

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Can he ever not sound like a complete tool? Seriously...

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This is my signature...

I just got back from the grocery store....and they were all out of the milk that I like.

GOD DAMNIT LEBRON JAMES!

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No

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Are there people that seek answers as to why the childrens cartoon they are watching is not entertaining? That seems like a random complaint.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Plus honestly isn't milk just milk. Do people really have brand preferences of milk? I just get whats cheapest.

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Milk was a bad choice.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Possibly worse than the Kaner. Hi OKC!!

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Vitamin D milk sucks.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I usually get 1%. But if you put Deans or whatever Jewel X brand they have in front of me I couldn't tell the difference.

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1% is definitely the way to go. You aren't as dumb as your avatar looks Phil

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

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He can't help but look like a winner.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I agree that Eli Manning is better than Peyton. High five!

...except Kobe has the stats AND the rings...

Whole milk or 2%... get outta here with that weak ass 1% shit.

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A lot of cheap milk is filled with hormones. That stuff will cause early menstruation and other bad stuff for you.

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skim

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It's true. I call it Aldi's Syndrome.

That aint milk. Just white water. I blame LeBron.

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and technically, it's called "skimmed milk"

i don't want anything skimmed off my milk....

My menstrual cycle is strong.....LIKE BULL

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I blame LeBron

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