basketball player & coach (1956- )
Push yourself, again and again, into positions that say 'no' to your opponent. Don't give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.
LARRY BIRD
Bird on Basketball
I've got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.
LARRY BIRD
attributed, A Season in Words
Leadership is getting players to believe in you. If you tell a teammate you're ready to play as tough as you're able to, you'd better go out there and do it. Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you're not giving it all you've got. Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It's being able to take it as well as dish it out. That's the only way you're going to get respect from the players.
LARRY BIRD
attributed, Winning Words
A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.
LARRY BIRD
attributed, The Best Book of Basketball Facts and Stats
It's funny. When I retired, I thought I'd really miss it. But I really feel like there was a weight lifted off my shoulders. I couldn't believe it. When I got done with that press conference, I walked out of there and I go, "Well, now I'm just a normal citizen. My career is over and it feels good."
LARRY BIRD
interview, ESPN, December 6, 2016
I knew I was as good as anybody. That's not really bragging; it's just that I'd put the time in.
LARRY BIRD
GQ, Jan. 2004
I always thought the whole idea of being paid to play pro basketball is ridiculous. I mean, think about it. You are taking that ball, running down the court, and you've got somebody on you. You've got four guys out there on your team, and five from the other team, and some people on the bench, and you look up and the place is packed, and all you are trying to do is make that ball go through the hole. It's just crazy to me. After all these years, it still doesn't make sense.
LARRY BIRD
Bird Watching
It's unbelievable. But I've never been to a pro football game. I've never been to a pro hockey game, either. I guess I'm not much of a sports fan.
LARRY BIRD
Boston Globe, Sep. 7, 1997
My thoughts were always that that night was the most important game in the world. Everybody in the world was watching that one game. And I had to be the best player on the court and win that game that night. That was my mentality, and it stuck with me all the way through my career.
LARRY BIRD
interview, ESPN, December 6, 2016
I hate to distort history by saying the wrong thing. But that's just what happens with time. Your own thought in your mind how it happened 30 years later, but it really didn't happen that way.
LARRY BIRD
interview, The Undefeated, October 9, 2019
I hate to lose more than I like to win.
LARRY BIRD
Christian Science Monitor, May 22, 1998
There is nothing better than being out there when the game is on the line.
LARRY BIRD
The Sacramento Bee, February 3, 1998
The key to being a good shooter is balance. Everything follows balance.
LARRY BIRD
Esquire, Sep. 2008
I was always driven on the basketball court. I always wanted to win every game I played in, sometimes too much. When you're out on the playground just playing, and you're scraping, fighting, and do whatever you can to win the game. When it's all over with, you're friends, and I'd think, 'Why did I get like that?' That's the way I've always been.
LARRY BIRD
interview, The Undefeated, October 9, 2019
Obviously losing is very difficult, but when you're rebuilding you know you're going through stages, it's going to be tough, but as long as you draft the players and you see a bright future, I think it's going to be lights at the end of the tunnel, it's going to be very good, not only for me, but for the franchise and that's what's most important.
LARRY BIRD
interview, Slam Online, Jan. 22, 2010
I wasn't real quick, and I wasn't real strong. Some guys will just take off and it's like, whoa. So I beat them with my mind and my fundamentals.
LARRY BIRD
Esquire, Sep. 2008
Life is great when you're winning.
LARRY BIRD
Drive: The Story of My Life
Well, I've been in them locker rooms after tough losses. There is no telling what's said off the record, heat of the battle. Stuff like that never bothered me. Everybody is going to have their opinion, they're going to say what they're going to say, you just go on about your business.
LARRY BIRD
interview, The Undefeated, October 9, 2019
I can't tell you how many ex-teammates have asked me for money. It's heartbreaking for me to say no, but I do, because I warned them. I told them to save.
LARRY BIRD
Bird Watching
lt takes guts to play defense, because you can loaf out on the court and nobody will know it. Only you will know if you did your best to grab a loose ball, or stop your man from scoring.
LARRY BIRD
Bird on Basketball