Larry Bird was one of the most dominant players in the 1980s. Being quite a character outside the court and telling his opponents beforehand what he was going to do to them made him a fan favorite. Bird showcased an incredible ability to shoot the ball and was considered one of the best shooters in the game.
But no one could have predicted that Bird would make this incredibly difficult shot during a match in 1986. Even years later, fans still look at the shot and can’t help but question how Bird made it.
Iconic Larry Bird Shot from behind the backboard
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In 1986, Larry Bird got a three-minute standing ovation for a shot he made. It was the iconic moment where Larry Bird made a shot from behind the backboard while going out of bounds.
Larry Bird’s shooting abilities were never in question. The legend once went on to win a three-point shooting contest without even removing his jacket. Larry Bird has put himself in the conversation as one of the best shooters of all time over the likes of Stephen Curry once in an interview.
This shot was 5 feet from the basket, but it was almost impossible to make it on the first attempt. This was against the Houston Rockets, and the fans couldn’t believe what they witnessed. Just as the shot went in, the cheers started pouring in, but within a moment’s notice, the fans started booing. But the boos were towards the referees, as the referees didn’t count the shot. Apparently, Larry Bird had stepped out of bounds while shooting the ball.
View this post on Instagram
The video was captioned “Larry Bird hits the jumper behind the backboard like its nothing ?“. Years later, the resurfaced video clip of the Boston Celtics legend making this extremely rare shot still has fans going crazy.
Fans can’t believe this shot from Bird
Anyone who has tried to make this shot in practice or in the gym knows how tough it is.
One fan with his own experience posted “Lol, u can try that s*** like 24 times in practice before it finally hit and Larry did this in a game, incredible“.
One fan went on to say that they have had a personal experience similar to this and joked about the instance, saying, “My son did that in the playoffs (8th grade) and it counted. I guess he’s better than Larry Bird.”
Some fans were left in disbelief and commented, “How is this impossible” and another said, “Fake, CGI“.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Fans also started remembering the greatness of Larry Bird and said, “The best shooter ALL time ????????” and “One of the most underrated NBA players. One of the greatest.“
It’s hard to believe that someone made an actual behind-the-backboard shot during a match.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It almost feels like a crime that the shot Larry Bird made didn’t count. Do you believe the shot should have counted?
Watch This Story: Ahead of Archrival Caitlin Clark and $110,000,000 Worth Out-of-Favor NBA Star, Angel Reese Rules High Among the ?Biggest College Stars?