160 Quotes by Larry Bird

It doesn’t matter who scores the points, it’s who can get the ball to the scorer.

Don’t let winning make you soft. Don’t let losing make you quit. Don’t let your teammates down in any situation.

In the closing seconds of every game, I want the ball in my hands for the last shot – not in anybody else’s, not in anybody else’s in the world.

There are many times when you are better off practicing than playing; but most people just don’t understand that.

When I go to the line I’m thinking ‘All net.’ When I don’t think that, I’m likely to miss.

Practice habits were crucial to my development in basketball. I didn’t play against the toughest competition in high school, but one reason I was able to do well in college was that I mastered the fundamentals. You’ve got to have them down before you can even think about playing.

I think you have to work very hard and dedicate yourself and have the respect of your teammates before you’re about to go out and just try to take a game over by yourself.

You never make any of the shots you never take. 87% of the ones you do take, you’ll miss too. I make 110% of my shots.

As far as playing, I didn’t care who guarded me – red, yellow, black. I just didn’t want a white guy guarding me, because it’s disrespect to my game.