Prior to Larry Bird entering the NBA, the league was not in a good condition as the interest of the fans was dropping rapidly. But Bird’s arrival and his amazing rivalry against Magic Johnson essentially saved the NBA.
Evidently, Larry Bird is regarded as one of the best players to ever play in the history of the NBA. It’s no surprise that he is considered one of the GOATs of the Boston Celtics as well.
During his career in the NBA, Bird was undoubtedly the primary superstar for the Boston Celtics. It was due to how he utilized his God-given talents and further honed his other skills with hard work.
Larry Bird Once Said He Never Wanted Star Treatment From His Teammates
On the court, Larry Bird was absolutely lethal with his skills and elite trash-talking. But off the court, Bird was as humble as a player could get. A 1981 interview with Sports Illustrated further confirmed it. In the interview, Bird mentioned that his teammates never gave him star treatment, and he loved it.
Bird doesn’t receive star treatment on the Celtics—”That’s the way I like it, too,”—and always heaps praise upon his teammates: “If it weren’t for Tiny, for Max, for Robert Parish…you know, I could be out there but we wouldn’t have won anything.” They, in turn, heap praise upon Bird, Archibald says, “Guys appreciate his talent and what he sacrifices. We know he’s the main focus on the team, but everybody on the team likes him because he’s just Larry.”
There is, however, another side of Larry Bird. When he gets loose, has a few beers and gets himself into comfortable company, he’ll sit back, look up rather than down, his blue eyes sparkling and his face shining like a little boy’s, and suddenly his Hoosier voice will become musical and full of confidence in his own marvelous talent.
Larry Bird was the glue that held the Boston Celtics in the 1980s together, and he was undoubtedly the best player on the team. But he never wanted star treatment from his teammates, which is a great quality in a leader of a team.
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