Larry Bird was one of the most well-rounded players to nurture basketball. His ability to shoot, pass, rebound and pass made him one of the most dominant players in NBA history. Despite his dominant nature on the court, he possessed a shy nature when it came to facing the media and the fans. Georgia Bird, the mother of the Hall of Famer, made a prediction long ago regarding a thing that might impact her son.

One of the side effects of being a sports icon is constant adulation from fans and the media. This often adversely impacts superstars and triggers their rapid downfall. Georgia Bird was aware of this reality and in 1985 she presented her concerns regarding her son’s shy nature. She said, “It the adulation will hit him one of these days. It may hit him so hard it’ll knock him down.”

Not only her mother but Larry Bird’s high school coach Jim Jones spoke about his shy nature. He said, “He gets embarrassed when people make a fuss over him. You have to understand him.” Hailing from a small town in Indiana, the shyness in Bird was understandable. But the three-time NBA champion didn’t let the spotlight affect his career.

Instead of being impacted by the spotlight, he embraced it. And subsequently, carved out one of the most legendary careers in NBA history.

What made Larry Bird a legend of the game?

Larry Bird earned the moniker “Larry legend” because of his sheer domination on the court. Despite the shy nature mentioned above, Larry Bird was one of the most effective trash talkers on the court. The world can never forget when he trash-talked Seattle SuperSonics forward Xavier McDaniel. Bird said that he was going to hit the game-winning shot over McDaniel. 10 seconds later he did what he said and McDaniel could do nothing but see the ball go into the basket.

His incredible passing and court vision accentuated his sharp shooting skills on the court. Throughout his career, he appeared in 897 games averaging 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, with a field goal percentage of 49.6. He won three NBA championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986 all in Boston Celtic‘s colors, and was crowned with two NBA finals MVPs.

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