Bird acknowledged that he did not particularly enjoy three-pointers.
The inaugural NBA All-Star 3-point contest and the two that followed were won by Larry Bird. Only he and Craig Hodges have won the competition more than twice. He was the first player to win it three times. Although Bird had a strong career three-point percentage of 37.6%, the man known as Larry Legend acknowledged that he wasn’t a fan of the three-point shot.
According to Bird, “I don’t know why I never liked it,” ESPN reported. “But I liked it only in certain situations.” Larry never went through a 3-point shooting drill. Bird claimed at the time that they only attempted to employ the three-point shot in close games. Depending on the circumstance, a three-point shot has the power to either win or lose a game. It’s a game-ending shot that deflates the opposition and extracts something from them. In back-to-back seasons (1985–86 and 1986–87), Larry led the NBA in three-pointers made. He did, as previously mentioned, win the NBA All-Star break’s first three Three-Point Contests.
It’s very humorous,” Bird remarked. “I didn’t even practice shooting threes. We may have just regurgitated a few of them. I practiced them only once, which was immediately prior to the 1988 3-point competition. We would rebound, throw the ball back out, and attempt some three-pointers after Danny [Ainge] would get the rack out. We did not, however, fire up 100 3s after each practice.” In 1986, he was even unwilling to enter the competition. Bird’s non-intention to compete in the 1986 Three-Point Contest is another intriguing tale. He had to disprove the opinions of his teammates who had informed him he wouldn’t win the challenge.
“Until my friends and my team told me that I wouldn’t win the Three-Point Contest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to participate in it or not. Bird recalled, “I had to go out and show them that I could win the event after that. In the decisive round, Bird defeated Hodges 22–12 to become the first-ever 3-Point King. $10,000 and a two-person trip to Hawaii were his prizes. Due to surgery to remove bone spurs in his heels, Larry nearly missed the entire 1988–89 season and was unable to complete a four-peat. Still, stories are built of people like Larry who wins three straight games without even practicing the shot.
