ANNOUNCEMENT: Kristaps Porziņģis Has announce his Resignation and Departure From Boston Celtics Today
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.
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.
