Larry Joe Bird was a well-known former basketball player born in 1956 in West Baden, Indiana.
Throughout his professional career, Bird played for 13 seasons in the NBA, all of them on the same team, the Boston Celtics. With a height that exceeded 2 meters by several centimeters, this player found his place within the team in the well-known forward position.
Great famous Larry Bird quotes
This athlete’s rivalry with the also famous Magic Johnson and his marked personality made him one of the most charismatic players of the moment. All fans of this legendary team know perfectly every detail of this legendary player, would you like to meet them?
Below you can do it enjoying the 45 most famous phrases of Larry Bird some phrases that no fan of the NBA and competitive sports can miss.
1. A winner is someone who knows the talents that God gave him, works intensely to convert them into abilities to achieve his goals.
Although we are talented, our determination will be what leads us to success.
2. I don’t know if I’ve trained more than anyone else, but I’m sure I’ve trained a lot. I still wonder if anyone, anywhere, was training more than me.
Without dedication, we will never achieve our goal.
3. Tonight I saw God disguised as a basketball player (on Michael Jordan after scoring 63 points).
Michael Jordan is recognized as the best player in history, Bird knew how to appreciate the quality of this extraordinary player.
4. What matters is not who scores the points, but who can get the ball to the scorer.
Basketball is a team sport and games are also won as a team.
5. Whenever I have played I have not cared who defended me. The only thing I didn’t want was a white player defending me, because it seemed like a disdain for my game.
Bird knew that the African-American players of the time were capable of presenting a higher level of play, he always wanted to face the best.
6. When you are labeled as the best, if you want to stay there, you can’t achieve it by slacking off.
In order to be among the best, we must train like the best.
7. Coaches can talk and talk and talk about something, but if you get it on the field and show it to them, it is much more effective.
Our actions say much more than our words.
8. “Leadership” is fighting for a loose ball, having everyone involved, all the other players. It is being able to assume and delegate. That’s the only way you can get the respect of your peers. It is making everyone believe in you and always give your best.
As team leaders, we must know how to set an example with our own actions.
9. If you give 100% all the time, somehow things end up working out in the end.
Our attitude and determination will be what determine our personal success.
10. Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final horn sounds.
Giving the most of ourselves can give us the opportunity to succeed.
11. He’s taller than me, he’s faster than me, he’s prettier than me, but still, I’m a much better basketball player.
We must never be intimidated by anyone, we must be aware of our worth.
12. “Leadership” is going for a lost ball, getting the public into the game, getting your teammates into the game. It’s the only way to get respect.
It is up to us that everyone around us is truly involved in our purpose.
13. Being able to play with people like Magic Johnson or against the Lakers has been an honor. Every game was a battle and you knew that if you didn’t play well, your team had no chance of winning.
In the NBA, only the best are capable of winning, this league demands the maximum from all its players.
14. You should have been praying (to JR Reid, a player with deep religious convictions, after scoring his 50th point).
Bird was a man who knew how to instill fear in his adversary, psychological warfare is something that can work very well in these cases.
15. “Leadership” is getting your colleagues to believe in you. If you tell a teammate to play as hard as he can, you better go out and lead by example. Colleagues know if you are a fake and can tell you if you are giving your all or not.
As Bird tells us very well in this quote, our example is essential for others to believe in us.
16. Are you kidding, rookie?… I’m the best shooter in history.
Few were capable of going head to head with this legendary player.
17. In Boston, there has been one player above the rest, it has been Bill Russell, he will always be No. 1 because everyone stays far from his mark.
As a player for the legendary Celtics, Bird knew perfectly well those who came before him.
18. Magic please leave my dreams now.
Magic Johnson was a player who gave good old Larry Bird more than a headache.
19. I think the best athletes in the world are African Americans.
African Americans have proven to have genetics that are very conducive to sports, being able to achieve great goals and being the best in countless disciplines.
20. The first thing I do every morning is look at the stats from the last few games to see what Magic did. I don’t care about anything else.
Bird was fully aware that the only player who managed to overshadow him was this Los Angeles Lakers legend.
21. Change Chuck Person, because if he stays on the court, I swear I will destroy you (the Pacers coach).
Not content with intimidating his rivals, Bird was capable of verbally threatening the rival team’s coach.
22. Which of you is going to come second?
Psychology can help us achieve our goal, with a losing mentality we will never achieve victory.
23. I don’t really like to talk about money. All I can say is that the Lord must have wanted me to have so much.
Money was something that Bird did not pay much attention to, he put many other things before personal wealth.
24. I can’t believe my team was so soft. SOFT! I’m disappointed, I never thought something like this could happen. This is all I’m going to say.
For our team to be able to give their best, on certain occasions we must know how to motivate them.
25. No matter how good I am, I’m still just a French Lick redneck.
Having our roots very clear and present can help us know what we want in the future.
26. Basketball is a black man’s game and it always will be.
Bird was not shy about saying what he thought and as we all know, African Americans are really talented in almost any sport, with special emphasis on basketball.
27. Maybe they beat us, yes. I haven’t played for 20 years and we are all very old now.
In this quote, Bird joked about which has been the best Dream Team in history, an answer he gave referring to the one so loved by everyone, Kobe Bryant.
28. I have dedicated my life to basketball. And I have dedicated my life to the Boston Celtics.
For Bird, the Celtics were much more than just a team, it was his home.
29. I don’t miss him at all. I’m glad to be out.
This legendary player has known how to enjoy and value his well-deserved retirement.
30. I won this championship for Terre Haute.
With this quote, Bird dedicated the championship to this idyllic city in Indiana, USA.
31. He is simply a phenomenal companion.
This forward was always a very loved and admired player in the Celtics.
32. It’s like watching the cat playing with the mouse.
His size and quality made this player one of the best in the world.
33. I’m not afraid of anyone, except Larry Bird. Because if he has the opportunity, he will win the match.
Fighting for every ball allowed Larry Bird to win games that would not have been possible to win otherwise.
34. I have had the honor of coaching the best players. But if I had to start a team today, the best player and the first one I would pick would be Larry Bird.
The Boston Celtics forward is one of those people we always wish we had on our side.
35. Larry Bird never gives up, never gives up hope. He always believes that he has a chance to win.
As this player teaches us with his way of playing, we must be perseverant and fight until the end.
36. For the best basketball player of all time. But even more important: a friend forever.
The most important thing in any basketball team is the personal relationships that are created between its players.
37. Larry wants any advantage: whether physical or tactical. But more importantly: a psychological advantage.
Using psychology to win is something that only the most intelligent athletes know how to do.
38. If a team wins by 2, and they are 2 down, Bird will get a 3-point basket. And you wait for it with bated breath.
People admired this player, the stadiums were filled just to see him play.
39. He was the most motivated player I have ever seen in my life. He wasn’t any redneck.
Motivation is a fundamental aspect in any sport, without it we will be much more mediocre in our game.
40. He is very intelligent. She has many eyes around her head.
Intelligence is essential in basketball, you must be very intelligent to know how to see and direct a play correctly.
41. One way or another, Bird… IT KILLS YOU!
The commentators were going completely crazy with Larry Bird’s game.
42. Bird is free. Bird makes a layup!
This player could surprise you at any moment, perhaps even at the least expected moment.
43. Bird on the shoulder.
Facing one of the most energetic players of all time did not have to be an easy task for his rivals.
44. Bird steals it! And he passes it to Johnson at the last second!
Without a doubt, Bird was a specialist in delivering a surprise at the last second. The nightmare of his rivals.
45. On the board!!!
The commentators were largely enjoying the play of perhaps one of the greatest players of all time.