Mama Bird shared the nickname they had for Larry around the house
Even in the Bird family, no one predicted that Larry would become one of the all-time great basketball players. Before he grabbed a basketball, Larry was the complete opposite of the player we all know from all the legendary fights and trash-talking stories. It seems like basketball unleashed that competitive, ruthless killer inside him. But why was that competitive spirit there to begin with?
Larry Bird put French Lick on the map
Coming from a small town in French Lick, Indiana, no one thought that a blonde-headed boy would go on to become an all-time great. Even Larry Bird’s mother admitted being surprised at how things worked out.The community might be small and unassuming, but everyone knew the Bird family. Even though they were that famous, no one bugged Larry and asked for an autograph. That town is his home, and people knew it, so they gave him privacy and respect.
Georgia called her son “a good boy,” “loving boy,” and a “very quiet boy.” When you see the Boston Celtics legend, these may sound like the most inaccurate descriptions because he built a reputation as one of the fiercest trash talkers in the league during his time.
Young Larry spent a lot of time playing ball because Georgia admitted they had little of what other children had growing up. So, it was sports and family for Larry, and it showed later in his career after playing professional basketball. His determination to show up for work every day and be the best guy out there came from his blue-collar father.