In our league, points is what makes you money” – Larry Bird breaks down why most players didn’t want to work on their passing skills
Larry Legend’s passing skills not only made him the unique player that put together a legendary career but it turned out to be a movement that transcended over time.
Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird once said that his peers during his era prioritized scoring instead of developing their passing skills because that’s what led to more income. In a 1991 vintage interview with NBA.com, Larry Legend talked about scoring being the name of the game back in the day.
“Because a lot of guys don’t want to be good at it [passing]. I feel there’s a lot of good guys in this league who can really pass the basketball, but in our league, points is what makes you money. The difference between 15 and 17 points is a lot of money, and that’s just one basket, so that’s one basket you have to get and that’s why they don’t want to pass because they want to shoot,” Bird said.
How Bird mastered the art of passing
It’s ironic that the three-time champion said this back in 1991 because we can tell how the game has changed through time. In the NBA today, the best players, such as Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, etc, have made a name for themselves because of their ability to pass the ball. That wasn’t the case for franchise players back in the day, which is why the likes of Bird and Magic Johnson were unique.
The ability to pass the ball was one of Bird’s greatest skills, and he mastered it throughout time. By the end of his storied 13-year career, the three-time MVP accumulated exactly 5,695 assists (6.3 APG). That was all possible because he had a special technique to go by it.
The thing about passing is I always try to set my man up with a fake. I always felt that if you want to be a good passer, you have to put them in a triple threat situation which is you can either dribble, shoot it, or pass it. That’s what I try to do. I try to get the ball and see everyone on my team so I can either dribble off the move, take the shot and it makes the pass a lot easier,” Bird added.
“Passing was really easy back then. I was a little quicker back then, I could do anything I tried to do, so passing was the easy part of it.”
David Stern made sure to capitalize on Bird’s greatest skill
Bird’s passing skill, along with Johnson’s, was a point of emphasis David Stern capitalized on in order to market the NBA at a time when the league was dying. The commissioner had the brilliant idea to constantly highlight and showcase these passes to not only feature the two ambassadors of the sport in the 80s but to show the world that there was more to basketball than just putting the ball in the hoop. It turned out to be Silver’s greatest project because it saved the NBA for good.
Bird’s passing skills not only helped him win multiple championships and put together a legendary career, but they also turned out to be a movement that transcended over time.