Larry Legend - Prejudice Knows No Color
Old-time fans called him 'The Great White Hope'
Larry Bird had to 'walk the tightrope'
He was no dope; he knew he was special
So he focused hard on crossing that threshold
By 1980, the NBA had become a black man's jungle
Woe to Bird, or any white boy, should he bungle
his chance to prove unearned accolades true
The league would just spit him out, after a sharp-fanged chew
But Bird never backed down; he brawled from start to finish
Winning games on raw hustle, desire and 'magic' undiminished
by the taunts and elbows he took from those who hated his guts
The 'white boy' dished out what he took; the cries no longer heard,
'Bird is a klutz'...
When they tallied wins and losses at the end of his first season
Bird's Boston Celtics improved by 32 games, and Larry was the reason
Everyone who saw him play knew it, including the haters who blew it
~ then grudgingly renamed him 'Larry Legend' ~ 'cos it fit
____________________________________________________________
'Larry Legend' went on to play 13 years for the Celtics, scoring over 25,000
points, winning 3 MVP awards, was selected to 13 all-star teams, and won
the respect of every black superstar who ever played the game. Was he the
GOAT (Greatest of All-Time)? That's an endless debate. But I can tell you
this: When Michael Jordan, THE MICHAEL JORDAN, played against Bird for
the first time in the NBA, he (Michael) asked for Larry's autograph (!) Bird
snickered, 'Earn it first, rookie.'...
Postscript: Jordan's Chicago Bulls never once beat Bird's Celtics in a playoff
game, going 0-6. (And in the last three contests, Bird limped badly before
each game due to a horrific spine injury that ended his career). 'Nuff said!
Copyright © Gershon Wolf | Year Posted 2023
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