Many people consider Larry Bird to be among the greatest NBA players of all time. Being a three-time champion and a twelve-time All-Star, among other accomplishments, solidified the Celtics legend’s status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
But at the beginning of his career, there was still a lot of uncertainty about Bird, despite the fact that he is one of the greats. Being the only white player in a league full of black players, he wasn’t the most athletic and faced some stereotypes. Bird was under a lot of strain because he was thought to be a simple mark. That was, until his rivals squared up against him for the first time.
As one of the greatest centers in NBA history, Patrick Ewing, the head coach of Georgetown, has a wonderful rapport with Larry Bird, having played with him on the Dream Team during the 1992 Olympics. On the Dan Patrick Show in 2018, Ewing discussed Bird and how many people didn’t value him in his early career:
Bird was dominating the league at the time, averaging 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, so Ewing knew personally that he was no joke. He also disproved everyone who believed he wasn’t the real deal.
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