I find it incredibly unpleasant to discuss money. I can only conclude that it must have been intended for me by the Good Lord. Owing to the hurtful things that supporters say to him.
Score had virtually little meaning, but there was a lot of fun and talking.” – Black hotel employees taught Larry Bird the art of trash-talking.
During that process, Bird got to know most of them off of the court, especially one player he dubbed “Slim.”
The idea that white guys are weak is one of the most pervasive stereotypes in the NBA. Strangely enough, Larry Bird supported that viewpoint and was offended when the other team “got that white boy on me?” on multiple occasions. Keep that white boy off of me. Larry’s feelings are explained with a tale from his early years.
White child, raised with grit by Black hoopers.
Bird, like many of the greatest players of all time, had an early passion for basketball. Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, young Larry improved his abilities by hoops with older guys who worked in a hotel nearby. In case you were wondering, the answer is yes! They were “Black, athletic, 20-something guys,” according to Bird.
When you see someone 20 years old, you assume they’re elderly, Bird stated in a 2019 interview with The Undefeated. “However, there were several guys who consistently showed up every day.”
“They’d smoke their Kool cigarettes and drink their beer in between games,” Bird continued. Larry said that these people were nothing more than “great guys,” but a lot of people in Indiana at the time—and far too many people do now—wouldn’t believe him. In the process, Bird got to know most of them off the court and in real life, especially one guy he dubbed “Slim.”
The fact that I met Slim 30 years ago, who was cooking at one of the hotels we stayed at while in Atlanta, was truly wonderful for me and brought me joy, he recalled. And he’d approach and ask, ‘Do you remember me?’ I knew I had seen that face somewhere before, but I couldn’t place it. He had gotten a little older. However, he expressed how happy he was of my transformation.
