Larry Bird Gets Honest About How Black Men Treated Him When He Played Pickup Basketball With Them When He Was Young

The Boston Celtics legend spoke of the time he grew up playing pickup games with Black men and how they shaped his journey.

5 Min Read

Credit: Fadeaway World

  • 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.

We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.

Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.

Newsletter

Stay up to date with our newsletter on the latest news, trends, ranking lists, and evergreen articles

Follow on Google News

Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.

TAGGED:
Share This Article
Aaron Abhishek is an NBA columnist for Fadeaway World. He graduated from St. Joseph's College with a Bachelor's in Visual Communication and a Master's in journalism.His passion for the sport began when he saw Michael Jordan take his final shot in the NBA, and he considers himself fortunate to have been a part of the Kobe Bryant era. Now he writes basketball news and analysis while waiting for the Los Angeles Lakers to win their 18th title.When not watching and writing basketball, you can find Aaron suited to play cricket, putting in some hard yards at the gym, trying a new coffee, and supporting Arsenal. Expertise: NBAFavorite Team: Los Angeles LakersPrevious Work: MEAWW, Blue Man Hoop, Sportskeeda
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *