In 1974 Larry Bird was my P.E assistant when I was in the 8th grade and he was a senior at Springs Valley High School. At the beginning of each P.E. class we always ran 10 warmup laps around the gym. One day, a trampoline was set up on the basketball court and there was Larry Bird bouncing on it. As the whistle blew and we reluctantly lined up to run our laps, our teacher (who was also Larry's basketball coach) blew his whistle, and said "Larry is going to take 10 shots while jumping on the trampoline. If Larry makes any shots, each one made will delete a lap that you must run." Coach threw the ball to Larry and right there in front of me and the entire boys Jr. High P.E. class, Larry proceeded to hit 7 out of 10 shots while bouncing up and down on the trampoline, 35 feet away from the goal. Larry set an incredible example for me as a young boy in French Lick, Indiana that helped me through my entire adult career. If you are willing to work very hard and never give up, your dreams can and will come true. Thank you Larry.

"If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life...I'd take Larry Bird." - Pat Riley

Larry was a straight savage! Walking into the 3 point contest and asking everyone "so, who is coming in 2nd?" Then went out and won in his warm up jacket

5:05 Larry is looking one way and passes the ball another way, backwards, over his shoulder...Masterpiece

Bird was possibly the most unique player in NBA history. He was purely cerebral and knew how to adapt better than any of the others

The ONLY man in HISTORY that Michael Jordan didn’t have a winning record against. That tells you everything you need to know.

Love Larry. He lived in my neighborhood here in Indy until 3 or so years ago. He’d always let my son and his friends play ball on his full court in his back yard. Larry would come out and watch them play and even talk to them. It was a real treat for my NBA loving son.

I was a Sixers Fan in the 80s as a kid. Larry Bird broke my heart many times. Guy was just unbelievable. DAMNITT

Larry once turned to an opposing head coach and asked him if he had anyone that could guard him. The coach looked at the bench and turned to him and said no. Larry was that good in his prime

Bro larry is legendary, one of the best no one can tell me otherwise

There’s just something magical about 80s and 90s basketball. I miss this era so much.

Larry is one of the best players ever with the ball in his hand. He is the best player ever without the ball in his hand. His anticipation and manipulation when he did not have the ball was something not many people talk about. His ability to maneuver himself into position for rebounds, creating lanes for others, picks, turning defenses, was the best that has ever been. He had the best eye for the game of anyone.

Craziest thing about Bird was that he spent half his career with chronic back pains, whenever he was on the bench he'd be laying on the floor with a back compressor and ointment to dull the pain. He was competing head to head with the greatest players of his era: Drexler, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Laimbeer, Barkley, Olajuwon, Worthy, Wilkins, Dr J, Thomas, Jordan, Kareem, Magic and he'd often get the better of them and he did it without being 100% healthy half of the time, let that sink in

As a kid, I got the opportunity to go to Celtics training camp. Larry Bird showed me so many pointers. He even gave me a signed jersey. By far my favorite player

Some of my earliest memories as a child are of Larry Bird. Growing up in the Boston area, we all wanted to be him. I’ll always love Larry Legend!

Bird was a magician on court. He did things that left people astounded and scratching their heads. He is one of the GOATS and should always be celebrated.

I read a Larry Bird story recently that had me laughing out loud. The first time Dennis Rodman played against him. Rodman was known as an excellent defensive player and he knew Bird's reputation so he did his best to lock Larry down. During the game Larry kept yelling, "Hey! I'm open! I'm open! Hurry up before they realize there's nobody guarding me!"

Add to everything else: Larry also lifted the abilities of his team mates to the highest levels. When he was a rookie with the Celtics, his innovative passes were hitting his surprised team mates in the head, etc, when they were not expecting it, and they quickly learned to expect the ball, and to have faith and run because if they got open Larry would pass. It transformed the whole offense into a dazzling, ball-movement jazz band. Larry also lifted the team defensively by his relentless effort, diving for balls, and never-give-up attitude, which was also contagious. Lots of basketball superstars have been great individual players, but Larry was transformational for his team and for the game.

Larry was a very dedicated hard working player. He kept himself very humble and treated basketball like it was a team game. It was all about the team and winning. He was a superstar and he would be shooting 1 hour worth of free-throws before any other player even showed up and every home game. His dedication and hard work is what made him so great. Larry was a one of kind B Ball player.

Not only did Larry do all those things great, he would walk by the opposing bench and tell them how many points he was going to score.

Larry was slower, but that was by design. The game had been really ramping up in speed and that's how most new players were playing. Larry kept slowing the game down to throw others off their game and make them play his game.

One of my favorite stories about Bird: Late season "home" game against Utah, played in Hartford. (Celts used to play a few games there each year for a while.) Celts were having their way with the Jazz, as they did almost everybody. Celts had ~100 points at the end of the 3rd Qtr. Larry almost had a quadruple-double. I think he needed one more steal for a quadruple-double. Coach KC Jones asked if he wanted to go back in to get one more steal in the 4th quarter. Larry said "No, I have to rest for the playoffs."

Bird and Magic were incredible. I'm an NFL-only fan now but back then I remember watching Larry and Earvin in the championships. Always off the hook. Dr J had a sweet team over in Philly back then too and a lot of people forget that these days. John McEnroe and Borg at Wimbledon almost the same time of the year. Baseball was still great too, although I quit watching after the strike in '78 or '79 when the Big Red Machine got screwed out of one more playoff run. Ali was gone but we still had Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler and nobody knew yet the beast Mike Tyson was just a couple years away. It was a great time to be a fan. I never thought back then that all the greatness would someday just vanish.

I watched him during his prime and I am so glad that other players have admitted how good he was! Without their stories most of us wouldn't have really known how good he was, even though we were watching it at the time! When your peers are finally able to admit it later on, you know it was true!

Just got this. My memory of Larry Bird was in the tunnel at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence KS after Indiana State beat Virginia Tech in the Midwest regionals. I think I was 12 or 13 yrs old. I asked him to autograph my program and he noticed the farm hat and dirty boots. We walked together and talked about farming.

I was a huge laker fan in the 80's living in the Midwest where bird was revered as a god and hated bird with a passion. But it didn't take long as I got older to recognize what a great player Larry was and missed it when him and magic called it a career. It was the end of a golden Era in the nba.

Well done, Larry bird was just amazing to watch, in 51 and don't think I missed many of his Celtic games, I still remember the behind the backboard shot

Pat Riley said it all! Hard to say when you debate the greatest. But Bird and Magic’s were my favorite to ever grace the game. The skill, the rivalries, the fun. They brought the game to another level.

I was never a fan of basketball, but growing up in the 70's-80's you would not miss a game if Bird and Magic were playing. They made the game fun to watch.

I watched him in his prime. Every game, I saw him make some crazy play that I'd never seen before. I see some of today's NBA players making the no-look behind the head passes, or the step back jumpers, and I just think about how much he has impacted the game to this day. But 80% of what he did on a daily basis nobody else could do. It is a shame he hurt his back and his career was cut short.

I remember watching all these guys in the late 80s and 90s... insane athleticism. Watching the highlights again is just mind blowing how in tune they were with their sport.

Larry will always be my favorite player. And what I admired about his style. He played to win. But it wasn't just "About Larry having the ball or the shot" when you thought his was trapped or going to shoot. He was already planning a pass.. I absolutely agree Larry was completely overlooked as one the greatest players!!

I was fortunate enough to have watched Larry Bird's entire career. He was an amazing shooter and improvisational master. He didn't appear as athletic or as quick as most NBA players, but he could do things on the court that nobody else could. His famous 'trash talking' ability only become known to me after he retired. He has countless videos on KZfaq of NBA players who talk about how good he was. I think this is a testament to his greatness.

I was a kid during his prime and he was my favourite. He was talented, cocky and a play maker, but unlike most "hot shots" he was a team player, who elevated the entire team. Your footage of Shaq showed him ignoring two open teammates so he could claim the glory of the dunk. Bird would make his cocky predictions, but he'd just as soon pass the ball if the play was a better one and the team won.

Love Larry Bird. I also like how much respect and admiration that Larry and Magic had for each other - yet, they still wanted to compete against each other and not team up for a sure ring (like they do today). That is the ONLY reason why Barkley does not have a ring, he had loyalty and not taking the easier path. I wish Charles had a ring.

That behind the board shot, and the over the head pass to the basket with no eye contact.. 🤯 Bruh, that ain’t human with that level of chill instilled in his face! 💀 Artful. I wish I had been born 10yrs sooner

I remember Bird. He was that good. I am a Pistons fan, the Celtics were the enemy back in the day. But I remember Larry retiring because his body had given up on him and I said at the time "I'm gonna miss Larry Bird, he was the best I have seen play". If you were around, you know...

I love hearing people say Larry was slow. He often rebounded his own missed shots even if he was shooting 15ft away (sometimes I think he planned it), he had a lot of triple doubles and he racked up a lot of steals. Larry had people believing he was slow.

Larry Legend!!!! I'm from Boston and I'm lucky because I actually got to see Larry Bird live in Boston Garden. One of the best times of my childhood. Forever one of the best.

I’ve watched a lot of Bird highlight videos over the years and I must say you finally nailed it. Kudos!

This man captivated my father, who played hs basketball and was offered a partial scholarship at UF in 1970 to play basketball. My father did not miss a single Celtics game as long as #33 played. He had a Celtics jacket hanging in his closet when I was a kid. I would call it the Bird jacket. This guy managed to do what so many failed at. He impressed my Dad.

Celtics won 29 games the year before Bird came. With mostly the same roster, they won over 60 games his rookie year and made it to the ECF where they lost in 7 games to Dr. J. Next year won his first title.

Never was a sports lover or even kinda liked. But when I saw LB play, I was a fan. Still am. Watched alot of his games. Now I like to see videos of other players talking about him and his highlights. Admirable playa.

Never a word about how he showed up 3 hours before every game and took hundreds of jump shots. Before every game!

As a Lakers fan, Bird was the one you feared the most. He did everything great, much to my chagrin.

I heard about him as a child all the time..thankfully we have the internet I can just re-watch his games.

“He wasn’t even trash talking, because he was doing it to you! He just let you have it” was a fun quote I heard

Larry was a lot like Wayne Gretzky. Neither were fast but no one was quicker from the neck up. Their reading of the game was without peer and that intelligence allowed them to operate in a space that was about two seconds ahead of everyone else.

Larry legend is one of a kind player

I'm truly enjoying all these old time games..Precious Memories..😊

Bird was great!! I was so privileged to be able to say I watched him play live.

The 1984 NBA Final Celtics vs Lakers is still the greatest most fierce high level competitive event I've ever seen. Absolutely finely tuned super skilled athletes on both teams. Very evenly matched. They had to work for every foot of court. I say without hesitation either of those Teams would mop the floor with any team today, bar none.

Larry Bird was always the example of the player that every basketball coach wanted his players to be. He was the player who fit the mold of hard work and talent without the benefit of flamboyance and/or anything else outside of simply being brilliant at showing how to be an outstanding conventional basketball player. Definitely among one of the top 10 ballers of all time!🏀

Jaye keep doing your thing. The support for the people supporting you is great. Don't see many doing it

I remember being in High School and putting my top 20 on a message board that included Indiana St. near the top. As a Celtics fan I also remember Bird being selected before his senior season. Fond memories for me.

When Bird retired there was a special “recap” of his career on one of the local Boston stations. The closing credits were shown alongside a series of clips of Bird passing the ball to his teammates. 😳 That sequence alone showed how great he was. 🤷🏻

Bird was the best ever. When he went to the Celtics they were a last place division team. As a rookie, he took them to a division title. He made every player on the team better. I saw the game live when he battled Dominique in the playoffs. It was mind blowing.

Bird was the best and most exciting player I ever watched. Pure joy!

Byrd's a legend. Well done putting together a great video. It's nice to see all the interviews.

As a die hard "Showtime" fan in the 80s the distain for the Celtics was immeasurable. However, the respect for "Larry the Legend" was the same! No single opponent more revered and feared of a Laker fan during that Era!

Larry was just “fun” to watch, you always knew that something “cool” was coming ! 👍👍👍👍👍

Larry Bird!!! A basketball legend! From Parma, Italy with love.

This is a good video thank you for uploading. I have fond memories watching Jordan and Bird play against each other.

My dad was a Celtic fan and when they were on TV we watched. I grew up with Larry and being so young I didn't realize how good he was until later in life. Understanding how hard he worked and the practice he put in to be what he became I realized I could be great too.

Larry was absolutely amazing!! Great by himself, yes, but was a Team Player also. His behind the back or over the shoulder throws while not looking (being aware of where his teammates are), was simply incredible!! Larry Legend is the perfect name.

Larry was incredible to watch. I watch his old games and I am still amazed how good he really was.

i had so much fun watching this. more than once. thank you !

Bird is my favorite all time. His basketball intellect was on another level. Not a great leaper but a great rebounder. Smart player. Rarely made bad decisions. Made those around him look good. Unselfish. Fearless competitor. Words don't convey his greatness and legendary status. Anyone who really knows basketball knows this.

Larry was terrifying precisely because he was so unassuming. He lacked style but his fundamental gamesense was unpredictable yet fundamental. He could do anything at any time and wasn't a flashy one trick. If the situation needed a team player larry was there. If the team needed a shooter Larry was there. Larry was just fundamentally a great player on every area of the court.

At the Summit in the ''86 playoffs I watched Larry Bird warming up doing free throws. He was like a machine.

Damn - he shot 3 LEFT-HANDED three's in the game against the Hawks and Dominique. He could SHOOT! Just imagine if he played today. His scoring average would be insane. He would shoot 3's both left AND right handed. Amazing.

Still my favorite player. His tenacity and talent was such a joy to watch play.

Back in 87, I attended my first NBA game (Celtics against Washington). Larry tied the game on a 3 point buzzer beater in regular time and won it in the 2nd overtime with another 3 pointer

We lived in Malden, MA back then and saw Bird at Boston Gardens. Amazing!

Watching basketball in the 80's was UNBELIEVEBLE.! It must see television!!

Some people get caught up in the flash and dash of quick, high-flying players. Sure, it's hoops eye candy, but it doesn't count for anything on the scoreboard. The ball still has to go in. Larry wasn't athletic by NBA standards, but he averaged 24-10-6 over a 13-year career. He took the Celtics from a 29 win team the season before he arrived in Boston to a 61 win team his rookie year, and that was before McHale and Parrish joined the team. The 60+ win seasons would happen five more times in the '80s, as we'll as three 55+ win seasons. Larry led the Celtics to five finals appearances in seven seasons ('81-87), including three championships. In those five finals he averaged 23-12-6, including a near triple-double in the '86 finals when he averaged 24-10-9 for what many consider to be the greatest team in NBA history. From '84-86 he won three consecutive MVP awards, joining Bill Russell and Wilt as the only players to have accomplished this and he did it at time in the league when there was Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Isaiah, Laimbeer, Michael, Julius, Moses, Barkley, Dominique, Drexler, Bernard King, Hakeem and Sampson among others. He was selected to the All-NBA first team in each of his first nine seasons from '79-80 to '87-88 before the streak ended in '88-89 when he played in just the first six games of the season due to season-ending surgery on both of his heels to remove bone spurs. The following season he was selected to the All-NBA first team for the tenth time in eleven seasons. Larry made the All-Star team twelve times in his career with the only absence being in the '88-89 season when he had surgery. All twelve of the players who were on the '89-90 Eastern Conference All-Star team (Larry, Isaiah, Michael, Barkley, Ewing, Parrish, McHale, Dumas, Dominique, Reggie, Scottie and Dennis) are in the Hall of Fame, with nine of them being selected to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and eleven of them being selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2021. Eight of the players who were on that year's Western Conference All-Star team (Stockton, Magic, Worthy, Hakeem, David Robinson, Karl Malone, Drexler and Mullin) are also in the Hall of Fame and seven of them were selected to both the 50th Anniversary team and 75th Anniversary team. Considering the incredible talent that Larry played against, his accomplishments are even more impressive. Larry had the NBA's first 50-40-90 season in '86-87, shooting .525/.400/.910 and improved on it the following season shooting .527/.414/.916. He also won three consecutive three-point contests, the only ones he competed in. He is undeniably one of the most clutch shooters in NBA history with a nearly unmatched work ethic, and he often played hurt. Charles Barkley once said, "Larry Bird can't run or jump because that was God's way of keeping the game fair." Maybe he's right because can you imagine a player with the basketball IQ and mastery of fundamentals that Larry had in an athletic body like Michael's or Dominique's?

Larry was and is the greatest of all times bar none! Total package and team player!

Grew up in the 80's, still a die hard Pistons fan. When it comes to Larry Bird he wasn't talking tash he was predicting what was gonna happen, including when and where. It's not trash talk when you can do it like Bird did.

I dont know shit about basketball but boy do i love hearing Larry bird Stories and watching him play.

Larry bird ran the 80s. Top 3 player no question

The desire and determination of Bird was legendary. I think he recieved 67% of all votes for MVP during his career in which he won 3 MVPs and was 2nd 4 times in a 7 year period. He played the last game of one road trip and played the 1st 3 quarters left handed and scored over 20 points left handed b4 finishing the other team off in the 4th quarter. And theres never been a bigger trash talker in the game and he backed up every word

Always loved Larry. My brother got me into a bar when I was 16 in 1985 and we watched the Lakers vs the Celtics championships. Fun times.

When I was a kid me and my friends would always play as 'Bird' in the court...I grew up in the Los Angeles area Youngsters today just don't know how influential and amazing Bird was

I had the great good fortune of being a Laker's season's ticket holder during the Magic vs Bird days. When they met in the finals there was so much electricity in the air you could feel it. Watching some of the greatest of all time matching up on the court was mind blowing. I couldn't talk for days following a Laker's Celtics matchup.

He has to be in the running as the GOAT, it's sad that his career was cut short because of his back problems! He gave everything on the court!

My dad was a big basketball fan in the 80s. My nephew's just 16 and he's into basketball. He was going on and on about how great LeBron and all them are. I just calmly told him "Larry Bird would like to have a word with you". He said "who's Larry Bird?" And my dad just gave a cheeky smile from the other side of the room and in that moment, we knew.... these kids don't even know what basketball is

Today I am paying homage to Larry Bird. Everything I can find on the man I am watching, and there’s a big smile on my face.

Bird is my favorite player of all time. He was clutch, smooth, and just on another level. He made me a basketball fan as a kid, even tho i only really got to see him at the end, when he was dealing with a bad back. Jordan & Bird made me love basketball. It was a wonderful era for the sport.

I'm glad to say I got to see these guys play toward the end of their careers. I came to the US and I remember my parents having friends over and they would go absolutely nuts watching Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Jordan Magic, etc. and Mike Tyson fights.

Larry Bird was a very enjoyable player to watch!! When he played the NBA was pure greatness. I had the privilege of watching the Celtics twice in Boston. Bird was phenomenal and his team was totally together. Against Philadelphia he got a breakaway. He paused under the basket and then dribbled to the three-point line and you know what happened!! Three! Amazing and Boston Garden came undone. The Sixers started a physical fight with him and he went to the locker room in the 4th quarter. I loved watching Larry Bird.

I had this old rubber larry bird basketball. I wore that thing out shooting into the nights with my dad. Best summers ever.

Im not american but discovered basketball through Jordan and that great bulls team. I continued to love it through rewatches of Bird and (my) future greats like Shaq, Bryant etc. Bird is one of the old favorites, had such a great understanding and intellect of the game

Love Dominique telling the left hand story... such great guys out there slugging it out.

I remembered reading an article about Larry in SI that epitomized his greatness and his basketball IQ. He had the ultimate court sense - at any point in time in a game, he could recall where everyone on the court was positioned. This probably could explain his amazing passes and his rebounding when he could not jump.

Last era I watched basketball was larry bird era he was just soooo good never got into much after larry....Much Larry Love from an old hippy gramma....

I watched all of his games. We had great basketball and great teams during his career. Great teams, a lot of great players

At the 9:20 mark, gotta love those bounce passes LARRY JOE BIRD did between the defenders legs. His teammates had to be ready at all times to catch all those magical passes he tossed their way.

I am from Massachusetts and can remember so many heart pounding games. I would have to step away from the TV because I couldn't deal with what was going to happen next!! Especially against the Lakers. That was when basketball was GREAT! Love Larry Bird!

Larry Bird gave me an appreciation for ones athleticism and critical thinking theories that directed his opposition's efforts. I developed a hook shot that became consistent from half court, as a hobby interest. It was the same basic shooting theory with a twist. Squaring your shoulders to the basket on the shot simply became aligning your shoulders toward the basket and the shot. God Bless Bird.

He was just awesome,amazing and unstoppable. My favorite player of all time and I am a Laker fan.