Not Luka Doncic, but This Celtics Legend Has Similarities With Larry Bird, Claims Hall of Famer

Larry Bird, nicknamed “the Hick from French Lick,” and his ice-cold poise, pinpoint passing, and killer shot-making defined an era. “I hate it when people compare people to Larry,” confessed NBA great and Bird’s former rival Dominique Wilkins, not because he dislikes lofty compliments, but because for him, despite all the other great qualities Bird possessed in his arsenal, the one that made him stand out was: “he had the heart of a lion. So when I hear people compare, I laugh. Yeah, okay.” And yet the Bird-Luka conversation persists.

Luka Dončić’s uncanny vision, step-back triples, and fearless clutch sensibility make him a favorite modern analog. Stat-wise, Luka posted averages north of 33 PPG in 2022–23, while racking triple-doubles like souvenirs. Still, a recent revelation by a veteran Celtics Hall of Famer flips the script entirely, arguing that the closest spiritual successor to Bird might not be a slow-moving but deadly Slovenian at all, but a former Celtic stalwart forged in Boston’s green and white tradition.

Jeff Twiss, who has lived through five decades of Celtics basketball, framed the Bird debate in a way few outsiders could. Jeff believes Kevin Garnett, not Luka Dončić, mirrors Larry Bird’s true essence. For Twiss, the connection has less to do with shooting touch or highlight reels and everything to do with mentality, “you got a guy by number five, Kevin Garnett. Same thing. Intense, motivated, unbelievable concentration, but yet off the court, great gentleman, great guy. He really is.” He explained that Bird and Garnett both embodied a rare duality, gentle, polite, and professional off the court, yet ruthless and obsessive the moment they stepped across the line.

To understand that lineage, Twiss pointed back to the 1970s and his early days in Boston. He saw the blueprint in Dave Cowens, who combined relentless play with quiet dignity away from the spotlight. “When I first started here, as I said, Dave Cowens in the 1970s. As a person and as a player, very, very polite, very gentleman, very businesslike off the court. Once he stepped across that line on the court, he’s like an intense, you know, driven maniac.” Cowens’ 1973 MVP season, where he averaged 20.5 points and 13.6 rebounds, set the tone for what Twiss would later recognize in Bird and Garnett: a Celtics identity built on obsession and willpower.

Larry Bird elevated that standard in the 1980s. “Fast forward that 10 more years when I started in ’81. You got a guy by the name of Larry Bird. Same thing. Very polite, very gentleman off the court. Get him on the court… he’s intense as all get. He is driven, driven, driven.” Bird’s intensity was visible in every practice and every possession, fueling three championships, three MVPs, and moments that became NBA folklore, from averaging 34 points in the 1984 Finals to his fearless trash talk that disarmed opponents. He placed Larry Bird in a continuum of Celtics legends defined not only by skill but by the duality of a gentle character off the hardwood, ruthless once they crossed the line.

That same heartbeat, Twiss insists, returned with Garnett in 2007. His arrival not only reshaped the Celtics’ roster but reignited their ethos. In 2008, KG anchored the league’s best defense and averaged 20.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in the playoffs, leading Boston to Banner 17. Off the floor, he was reflective and generous; on it, he demanded accountability and gave no inch. Twiss’ words highlight why the Bird Garnett comparison carries weight: both men embodied the Celtics paradox of a gentleman off the floor, warrior on it. And in that light, Garnett stands as one of Bird’s truest heirs.

What Twiss highlighted is that Bird’s true heirs aren’t defined by shooting forms or highlight reels, but by mentality. Luka Dončić may have Bird’s flair, but Kevin Garnett shared Bird’s essence: the switch from gentleman to warrior, the ability to elevate a franchise with sheer willpower. Garnett’s leadership, like Bird’s, was about holding everyone accountable, sweating the details, and demanding excellence until the job was done. In that light, the comparison feels less about style and more about spirit and few in Celtics history mirror Larry Legend’s spirit more closely than Kevin Garnett.

Jeff Twiss’ Hall of Fame recognition underscores his voice in the Bird debate

When Jeff Twiss says that Kevin Garnett reflects Larry Bird’s true intensity more than Luka Dončić, his words carry weight. For over four decades, Twiss has been more than a Celtics executive, he’s been a custodian of the franchise’s legacy, sitting courtside through 44 seasons, four championships, and countless defining moments.

Twiss wasn’t just watching from afar; he lived alongside Red Auerbach, chauffeured him to Springfield for Hall of Fame enshrinements, and served as the bridge between generations of Celtics greats. Now, as Twiss prepares to accept the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in Springfield, the Hall’s highest honor outside of induction, his words on Bird, Garnett, and what makes a true Celtic competitor resonate louder than ever.

Twiss himself admitted the honor was beyond anything he imagined: “I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that I’d be up there with the likes of Red or others.” Yet for the Celtics, his reliability and perspective made him indispensable. Twiss’ career was built on details the same details he highlights when praising Bird’s and Garnett’s relentlessness. It’s the perspective of a man who helped carry the Celtics tradition forward, and now, like Auerbach and Cousy before him, will see his name etched into the Hall of Fame’s history.