Larry Bird dominated the NBA in his prime, winning three championships, three MVPs, and two Finals MVPs. But it wasn’t just his accolades that made him great, Bird had all the confidence and swagger of a true superstar.
In 1988, Larry Bird won his third consecutive three-point shooting contest at the All-Star Weekend. He did it without even taking off his warm-up jacket. And Michael Jordan‘s amazed reaction shows how epic the moment truly was.
“He ain’t take off his top yet,” Jordan said, watching Larry Legend burying three-pointer after three-pointer. “I tell you, it’s hard to shoot after Bird just got 23.”
I’m the same age as Larry Bird was in this clip as he wins his 3rd straight 3-point competition…in his warmups, leaving Michael Jordan in awe. The only contest I’m winning in my warmups is a donut eating one, leaving no one in awe, only slight disgust. pic.twitter.com/HTEMNFjKJE
— Rivers Hughey (@RivsHughey) February 19, 2020
Michael Jordan couldn’t believe what he was watching, and neither could most people. Larry Bird had won it in 1986 and 1987 too, so this win was to end any doubt about who the greatest shooter in his era was. Bird scored 17 points in the first round, the second-highest tally, before dropping 23 in the semifinal round.
In the final round of the contest, he scored 17 again, beating Dale Ellis, who only managed 15 points. The three-point contest wasn’t as big a deal then as it is now, but what Larry Bird did still added to his legacy in a major way. In three rounds, he scored 57 points, 14 more than Dale Ellis, who had 43 total. And he did it without taking off his jacket.
Larry Bird Was Known For Talking Trash Before And During The Three-Point Shooting Contest
What made Larry Bird such an iconic figure was that not only would he beat his opponents, but he would also talk a lot of trash to them while doing so. In 1986, he walked into the locker room confidently before his first three-point contest and asked which one of the other competitors would be coming in second.
“Which one of you, you-know-what’s, is going to finish 2nd?” Larry had said, per Skip Bayless. “And he got away with it because it was 1986.”
The three-point line was introduced in Larry Bird’s rookie season and it wasn’t as important to the game as it is in the modern era. Stephen Curry made more three-pointers in just two seasons than Larry Bird did in his entire career, for example. Despite this, he shot a solid 37.6% from three-point range for his career. There has been no one with his combination of skill and attitude in the NBA since.
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