It was 20 years ago this week that Larry Bird retired from basketball. Over at CSNNE.com, they have done a fantastic job this week of remember him and what he meant to the Boston Celtics and the city.
Here’s a highlight video of Bird (if you want more, there are countless more on the Web). What I take away from this was two rememberances. First, the guy had every shot in the book. Three pointer, spin move in the post, running floater, whatever it was he could hit it. It was the hours spent in the gym practicing shots nobody else thought of.
Second, has there ever been a better shooter of a contested jumper in the game’s history? He had the footwork and game to create space for himself, but he didn’t need much because he was tall enough to shoot over you and drain it.
Just a reminder of his career numbers: 3 NBA championships, 3 time league MVP, 2 time finals MVP, 10 time All-Star, gold medal, Dream Team member, Hall of Famer. The man who, along with Magic Johnson, revitalized the game, saved the NBA and cleared the path for Jordan and all that was to come.
And that’s the short list.
