Looking for a Larry Bird mixtape?
As we go through the generations, it is easy to forget just how good some of the legends that graced NBA courts were.
Perhaps none more so than Larry Legend himself, Larry Bird.
Well, the NBA has just done a pretty good job of ensuring we never forget, with this almost-10-minute ultimate career highlight Larry Bird mixtape.
Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA’s most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player three consecutive times (1984–1986). He played his entire professional career for Boston, winning three NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards.
Not to mention, he was also known for his trash talking, which is some of the best we’ve seen in NBA history.
He was a member of the 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team (“The Dream Team”) that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Bird was voted to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998 (and was inducted again in 2010 as a member of the “Dream Team”).
After his playing days, he served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In addition to being part of the 50–40–90 club, he is the only person in NBA history to be named Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
As a 6’9″ white guy, Larry Bird transcended the game with his skill set and in this Larry Bird mixtape you will see exactly why. Unreal.
Larry was the FOUNDER of the 50-40-90 club – and is still one of only 2 members of it in more than one year (Steve Nash is the other, but wasn’t as much of a volume shooter as Larry Legend was).
But MORE impressively – Larry was the only player EVER to be Top 50 for his career in Points per Game, Assists per Game, AND Rebounds per game as of when he retired – and he’s still the only one (though he might slip to only Top 51 or Top 52 soon).
NOBODY else was as well rounded a player for their entire career, and the only Single Seasons that could compete were the season that Wilt won the Assist title and Wilt’s year right before that (which was a fairly narrow miss).
Sorry Mr. Triple Double, Oscar just wasn’t quite as overall good.
Forgot to mention – Larry is also the only non-Center and one of only 3 men to win BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK MVPs (Bill Russell was the first, Wilt the second).