Not sure of the comparison with Booker, but I have always argued that Bird was more athletic than people give him credit for. At 6'9 he could handle the ball like a guard when he was younger, he was quick, agile, etc. Even though he didn't have the greatest leaping ability, his hand-eye coordination was phenomenal. You could argue that some of this was predicated on his ability to anticipate and be in the right place more quickly because of his basketball mind, but ultimately I think he gets a bit of a bum rap when people try to label him a slow white guy who couldn't run very fast or jump very high.