Kobe on Larry Bird (with the part you DIDNT see)

#BirdGang
Kobe says not enough young people have watched Larry Bird play “…how many have seen Larry Bird play? That’s not a high enough percentage. We’ve got work to do”
It should be noted that of all the players Kobe could have been curious about, it was Larry Legend that Kobe highlighted. He knew, having grown up in LA, that it was Larry Bird that gave the Lakers the most trouble. He hated Larry because he was a Celtic, but he had to respect Larry’s talent & dominance, So he EDUCATED himself. Later when he was asked his starting 5, Larry was in that lineup.
Smart man.

[yusufleeevans]

Worthy played against Mike and Bird, and he preferred guarding Mike. He said “Jordan made you look slow, but Bird made you look stupid”. That’s why he was so dominate. His on court IQ was ridiculous

[charlesking]

In his prime Bird was as good as anybody who ever played the game.🏀

[robinmcintyre]

I can only imagine how frustrated the guys were that he played against. Being told by a guy less athletic than you how he’s going to score on you, and then have that guy do it.
Larry Bird is a freaking legend.

[noles]

Kareem told him the truth about Larry Bird. Kareem always gave high praise when talking about Bird.

[peterlightning]

When I watch old footage of games with Larry Bird. I'm constantly stunned by how good he was. They guy was amazing.

[spooge]

Kobe was an extremely intelligent man. It's a shame that the world will never see what he would accomplish next.

[jamesoaks]

About Bird: The ability to stop while the opponent is still moving (pivots, jump stops, step backs), the ability to fake (ball fakes, head fakes, look offs) to get the opponent to move to your advantage, (even if the just move their heads/eyes for a second, the ability to send the ball to a place (passing skills) that the opponent wasn't expecting, and the ability to release the ball from farther back and early in your shot- (with high arch) are all "forms" of speed, agility, and quickness. Birds advantage was not just his intelligence but also his understanding of physics and how he could make others move to his advantage. Bird could choreograph the movements of players around him and then exploit the results to his advantage. He had the combination of intellect, height, soft hand, competitiveness, earned respect, ambition, and pride to fit himself into a game where others might not be able to. I think this is how he became a legend.

[thierrynolevaux]

All you have to do is watch Larry Legend shoot the lights out against the hawks and Dominique Wilkins to realize what an extraordinary talent he was. Even the hawks bench was on the floor in disbelief from some of the shots he was making. Greatest shooting exhibit of all time.

[dexterjankaren]

Bird was a slow runner but he had quick movements. He's also the best head faker of all time and he was very calm and could slow the game down to see all the little opportunities available.

[jamesroof]

I moved to Boston in Bird's rookie year. I was a Knicks fan, but Bird made me turn on the TV every game to see what amazing things he was gonna do. He made people turn on the TV just to watch him. Wilt and Jordon 2 of the greatest athletes I ever saw but Bird had that Xfactor unlike any other player I ever saw. He had basketball ESP unlike any other.

[randallcline]

I was never a fan of Kobe, but I admired his work ethic and the fact that he was a student of the game. He wanted to know everything about it.

[pauljonessoftware]

I followed Bird's entire career. I was probably his biggest fan at my high school too, so I remember his game very well. Despite being slow as molasses, he understood passing lanes and he often played "possum" on defense too; this made him a great defender. Standing a legit 6'10" with a great basketball I.Q., he was both a great rebounder and passer too. In my view though, the thing that truly made him special was his ability to score from anywhere on anybody. His height gave him a great advantage on the perimeter and once the BIRD was aloft (no pun intended), he rarely missed. On top of all of this, he was tough as nails. For me, no other player besides Michael Jordan, was must-see TV.

[jamesdesch]

Bottom Line: Bird was great! James Worthy said Jordan was amazing and would beat him athletically and their wasn't anything he could do about it. Bird, on the other hand, would cause him sleepless nights, because he could beat him and his team and completely embarrass everyone. Worthy had to be totally physically and mentally focused because Bird would put relentless pressure on every aspect of the game in ways that the layman doesn't see nor understand. It's a shame that many old and young folks have no idea how damn amazing Bird was. IMHO, the most underrated legend of the game of all time.

[malooch]

If you doubt the greatness of Larry Bird search “bird Jordan March ‘91” and watch the highlights from that double OT game and check the stat line. Keep in mind that’s a broken back past his prime bird vs. a championship season prime MJ

[randywissler]

One of Larry's best quotes was when he told Charles Barkley during a game that the 76rs where disrespecting him by having a white guy guard him. 😂😂

[mikeortiz]

One of the greats talking about one of the greatest players of all time Larry Legend!

[ursirius]

Larry Bird is the epitome of the saying, you can have the athlete I'll take the guy with the brain who knows the game.

[porterwake]

Larry Bird was a hustler and had a deadly quick first step.

[arciefan]

Can 't run, can't jump, slow, can't defend. Yet he had the smarts and the work ethic that the greats all have. Won several mvp's and several championships and will go down as one the best ever.

[jamesmartin]

LOOKING Slow as Shit was one of Bird's secret weapons.