- Larry Bird grew up in tough surroundings in French Lick
- The Boston Celtics legend recollected playing with older Black men during his younger days
- Bird called them “great guys” who were proud of how he shaped up in his life
Larry Bird was candid about the influence Black men had on him with the way they treated him during his younger days.
Speaking to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, the Boston Celtics superstar explained how he grew up playing pickup basketball with Black men who worked at a hotel near his home in French Lick, Indiana.
“Back then I would just try to develop my skills as a young player, and I got in games around there. But these guys were older. When you’re 9, 10, 11, you see somebody 20, you think they’re old. But it was a number of guys who would show up every day. In between games they’d smoke their Kool cigarettes and drink their beer, but great guys.”
He further added:
“They treated me very well. When I showed up, if somebody needed a break, they’d throw me right in there and I’d be in there the rest of the day. But they were pretty good players. They really weren’t great by any means. They always seemed to let me get in there and play with them, and I always enjoyed that because I always looked at that group of guys. They had a great kinship, they got along very well. … Score meant very little, but a lot of talking going on, a lot of fun.”
The influence was fairly simple — Bird had fun when he was playing with men well older than he was. Of course, he knew that cigarettes and beer weren’t ideal fuel for an athlete, but it was the fact that they taught him what it meant to have connections with people. Bird even recalled one of the men who remembered him years later.
“What was really great for me and made me happy is 30 years ago I ran into Slim, who was down in Atlanta out there cooking at one of the hotels we stayed in. And he’d come up and say, ‘Remember me?’ And I knew I’d seen that face before, but I didn’t know where. He was a little bit older. But he said he was so proud of how I turned out.”
Maybe not many expected him to rise meteorically as he did, but they sure were happy to see the young boy who played with them go on to become one of the greatest players in the NBA.
Larry Bird Did The Hard Yards Before Turning Into A Bonafide Basketball Star
In what comes off as one of the ideal hard-work-pays-dividends stories, Larry Bird did ample grunt work in life before turning into a professional hooper.
At one point of time in his life, the legend worked for the Street Department. He did jobs like cutting grass, painting benches, striping streets, and driving a garbage truck. And he believed construction was where he belonged.
“When I was at [Indiana] State, finishing to get my degree, they had me teaching special needs kids in a high school. That was tough. It gave me a lot of respect for people who do that,” Bird said. “I thought I’d wind up being a construction worker, pouring concrete. I wasn’t very good at shopping in school, but I’d been around construction. As far as basketball goes, I just wanted to be the best player on my high school team.”
But it wasn’t meant to be, as Bird was destined for greater success. He spent his entire playing career with the Celtics winning three NBA championships with the franchise and being recognized as one of the most influential ballers in the 80s alongside Magic Johnson.
During his decorated NBA career, Bird won 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards, and a Rookie of the Year award. He made the cut as an All-Star 12 times, All-NBA 10 times, and All-Defensive Team 3 times.
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