Before Larry Bird became a legend in the pantheon of NBA greats, he had to battle a wave of skepticism—much of it coming from the very city that would one day worship him. When Bird first arrived in Boston in 1979, the basketball world, and especially the city of Boston, was undergoing a transformation. The NBA was becoming faster, flashier, and more athletic. And while Bird’s skills were undeniable, he didn’t exactly fit the mold of the new-age superstar.
Coming out of Indiana State, Larry Bird had just led his team to the NCAA championship game and finished the season with jaw-dropping averages of 30.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Despite that, his arrival in Boston was met with more than a few raised eyebrows. The Celtics’ fanbase, long known for its intense loyalty but also its sharp critical edge, wasn’t immediately sold. A white forward from the small town of French Lick, Indiana, with a slow, methodical style of play, Bird didn’t seem like the future of a league leaning into its flair and athleticism.
Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, who would eventually face off against Bird in numerous high-stakes Celtics–Knicks showdowns, recently reflected on those early doubts. “I remember growing up in Boston. People always used to talk about how he can’t jump, he can’t do this, he can’t do that,” Ewing recalled. “And a lot of my friends thought like that, you know.”
Ewing, who moved to Boston as a child from Jamaica and came of age during Bird’s early NBA years, offered a unique perspective on how the city initially received its future basketball icon. Boston’s relationship with race and sports has often been complex. In a league growing increasingly diverse and athletic, many fans viewed Bird through the lens of what he wasn’t, rather than what he could be. He didn’t fly through the air like Julius Erving or possess the physical dominance of Magic Johnson. But what Bird lacked in flash, he more than made up for in fundamentals, basketball IQ, grit, and sheer will to win.
Bird’s old-school, team-oriented style may not have captured immediate attention, but it eventually won over even his harshest critics. His ability to read the game several moves ahead, hit impossible shots under pressure, and lead by example made him a cornerstone of the Celtics’ resurgence in the 1980s. With Bird, Boston reclaimed its spot among the NBA’s elite, winning three championships and reigniting one of the greatest rivalries in sports against Magic Johnson’s Lakers.
Ewing’s comments serve as a reminder of how even the most iconic athletes often begin their journeys under a cloud of doubt. Larry Bird’s early days in Boston were marked by skepticism and low expectations. But instead of letting that define him, he used it as fuel. The criticisms about what he couldn’t do became irrelevant in the face of all that he could.
Today, Bird is remembered not for the doubts he faced, but for the way he erased them—one pass, one shot, and one championship at a time.