level the playing field by assuming everyone has the same upbringing, training, level of competition, financial incentives, etc. Bird and Magic saved the game and brought it to the masses in the early 80's. So yeah, the level of competition was very different since the NBA was not a major player back then.

Had those two come up in 2001 or so who knows where they end up? Same goes for Lebron. He probably isn't Lebron of today if he's playing the game the way it was played back in the 60's. At best I would compare him to Oscar Robertson who was ahead of his time, but again, who knows?

I think guys like Bird and Magic would've thrived in any environment and any era given the same circumstances as their peers and to assume otherwise just isn't fair.