The more you win, the better you’re gonna get. It grows on itself.
LARRY BIRDMy coach told me, “Larry, no matter how much you work at it, there’s always someone out there who’s working just a little harder – if you take 150 practice shots, he’s taking 200.” And that drove me.
More Larry Bird Quotes
-
-
I wanted to compete at the highest level again – and that’s the NBA.
LARRY BIRD -
I think that takes it all. That’s the greatest thing you could ever achieve in your sport. So, I have been very fortunate to play on great teams, but the gold medal was probably the best.
LARRY BIRD -
He who has learned to trust nature finds need for ever fewer external directions. He will discard formula after formula, until he reaches the conclusion: Let nature take its course.
LARRY BIRD -
Don’t let winning make you soft. Don’t let losing make you quit. Don’t let your teammates down in any situation.
LARRY BIRD -
When I was a player, I didn’t expect my teammates to play the way I did. I did expect them to work hard every day and get better. And I never learned anything by losing.
LARRY BIRD -
I just shoot until I feel good.
LARRY BIRD -
First master the fundamentals.
LARRY BIRD -
A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.
LARRY BIRD -
The best players will play. That’s the way it will always be.
LARRY BIRD -
I think a lot of blue collar people related to me because a lot of people work for their money.
LARRY BIRD -
I think you have to work very hard and dedicate yourself and have the respect of your teammates before you’re about to go out and just try to take a game over by yourself.
LARRY BIRD -
Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It’s being able to take it as well as dish it out. That’s the only way you’re going to get respect from the players.
LARRY BIRD -
Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.
LARRY BIRD -
I wasn’t real quick, and I wasn’t real strong. Some guys will just take off and it’s like, whoa. So I beat them with my mind and my fundamentals.
LARRY BIRD -
My opinion about basketball, the way I was taught, was when you step on the court, you play to win.
LARRY BIRD -
The one thing that always bothered me when I played in the NBA was I really got irritated when they put a white guy on me.
LARRY BIRD -
Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you’re not giving it all you’ve got.
LARRY BIRD -
I used to love the feeling of running, of running too far. It made my skin tingle.
LARRY BIRD -
Practice habits were crucial to my development in basketball.
LARRY BIRD -
I can see why fans don’t like to watch pro basketball. I don’t, either. It’s not exciting.
LARRY BIRD -
I mean, the greatest athletes in the world are African-American.
LARRY BIRD -
Basketball has been my life and I worked at it so hard because I enjoyed it so much.
LARRY BIRD -
I like being by myself.
LARRY BIRD -
I have always been confident in my skills and once the game got going I knew I was probably the best player on the floor most of the time whether it was junior high, high school or college. I knew I had control of the game.
LARRY BIRD -
You can make all the excuses you want, but if you’re not mentally tough and you’re not prepared to play every night, you’re not going to win.
LARRY BIRD -
Eminem. My son was listening to that and I was like, “What is that junk?” Then I started listening and I thought, You know, that kid is pretty good. It’s the storytelling.
LARRY BIRD