Back then, there was a lot of skepticism about Larry Bird and the game, even though he is now considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and for good reason. Unusual for a simple reason. It was all about his skin tone and race.
The fact that there weren’t many white players dominating the NBA in the 1980s made fans suspicious and made them wonder if Bird’s abilities were beingoverstated. So Bird was ideal for the NBA at the time to attract more white fans and have diversity at the top. But that interpretation was completely incorrect, as everyone who faced Bird knew.
Bird, who stood 6’9″, was the epitome of a basketball player who could do it all on the court. When necessary, he played defense, rebounded, distributed the ball, scored from all angles, and in his early years, he even possessed good athleticism. However, his opponents were intimidated by his high basketball IQ and confidence, which made his skills valuable. Even some of the greatest basketball players who had come before him were impressed by that kind of game; legendary Wilt Chamberlain had nothing but praise for Bird.
In an attempt to elicit a contentious response, Wilt was once asked if Larry Bird’s greatness as a player was solely due to his race as a white man while making a guest appearance on the Howard Stern Show. But Wilt quickly disproved that story and offered his felicitations to Bird.
Wilt’s statement was succinct but straightforward. Seeing him give credit to a specific player was a unique experience for a guy who never really liked to talk well of anyone but himself. A fundamentally sound and skilled player like Bird was the key to his Hall of Fame career, which included three championships, twelve All-Star selections, and numerous other honors.
