Basketball was always a game to me. One of the greatest things in life for me was to be able to play what I loved dearly and get paid for it. So it was always a game to me and that’s how I perceived everything.
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
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I think it’s good for a fan base because as we all know the majority of the fans are white America. And if you just had a couple of white guys in there, you might get them a little excited.
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Whether it’s a tie game or down by 1 or up by five, it was always the same shot. So I always felt comfortable with the ball in my hands because it was in there a million times before.
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The more you win, the better you’re gonna get. It grows on itself.
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Who in their right mind wouldn’t listen to what Larry Bird tells them? He knows what it takes to be a successful player, and he’s letting us do the things to have the success.
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The best basketball announcer is one who allows you to close your eyes.
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When I go to the line I’m thinking ‘All net.’ When I don’t think that, I’m likely to miss.
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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.
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I’ve always been interested in jobs in the NBA. But I’ve been in this for 20 years and it might be time to do something else.
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My name’s been on this check for a week now.
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When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.
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Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.
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Anytime you’ve got an opportunity to play for your country and win a gold medal,
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Michael Jordan is God disguised as a basketball player.
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While day by day the overzealous student stores up facts for future use.
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Before every game I used to go out and shot the same shots over and over and over. In the summer time I spent a lot of time just shooting. So really it just came natural.
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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.
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What’s better? Dogs or broomsticks? I mean will the world really ever know?
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My goal was just to try and be the best player on my high school team, and look where I am now. And that was still my goal as a young kid, just to try and be a little better than my brother was.
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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.
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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.
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Strength is not nearly as important as desire. I don’t think you can teach anyone desire. I think it’s a gift. I don’t know why I have it, but I do.
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I like being by myself.
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First master the fundamentals.
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When it gets down to it, basketball is basketball.
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As far as playing, I didn’t care who guarded me – red, yellow, black. I just didn’t want a white guy guarding me, because it’s disrespect to my game.
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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.
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