I’m saving my right hand for the Lakers” – What Larry Bird said after his famous left-handed 47-point performance
Larry Bird put together one of the more comprehensive resumes in NBA history, but perhaps his greatest feat wasn’t the three consecutive MVPs or the three championships – it may have been playing an entire game using only his left hand and still dropping 47 points.
In 1986, Bird had achieved just about everything there was to achieve in the NBA. He was a two-time MVP, a cemented Boston Celtics legend, and one of the most recognizable figures in sports.
With such a decorated stack of achievements, Larry Legend needed to get creative to keep the juices flowing. In a contest against the Portland Trailblazers, he decided to shoot exclusively left-handed in the outing.
Bird decides to do the unthinkable
Former big man and Celtics teammate Bill Walton recalled the moment well, revealing that Bird broadcasted his plans to his teammates and the wider NBA media.
At the end of one of the trips, he had accomplished every goal, we hadn’t lost a game on the trip, and Larry told all of us players and the media too, we were all standing around waiting to leave, he said, ‘Tomorrow night’s the last game of the trip, I’m going to play this one left-handed, at least through three quarters,” he said.
As dominant as ever
In what turned out to be one of the more extraordinary displays we have witnessed in NBA history, Bird finished the contest against the Blazers by dropping 47 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing 11 assists, and blocking two shots in 49 minutes.
He was 12-of-34 from the field, seven-of-seven from the free throw line, three-of-three from beyond the arc, and kept to his word by taking every shot that wasn’t long-distance with his left hand. In the years that followed, Bird revealed that knew he had it going when he saw a few go down even with his non-preferred hand.