Larry Bird Passed On Boston Celtics' 3-Point List By Unlikely Candidate

Shandel Richardson | Dec 29, 2024

Jan 17, 1990; Orlando, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird (33) in action against the Orlando Magic at the Orlando Arena. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images / RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Larry Bird is forever considered the greatest player in Boston Celtics history.

Not even Jayson Tatum's greatness will ever touch Bird in Celtics folklore. Even though he is "Larry Legend," Bird is falling on some career statistical lists because of the way the game has changed.

An example was Celtics center Al Horford passing Bird on the franchise career list for 3-pointers. It happened in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Indiana Pacers. Horford is now in seventh-place with 650 triples ahead of Bird (649).

It's hard to believe considering Horford is known for being more of an interior player while Bird is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. The reason for this simple: the game is way different from when Bird dominated.

While Bird spent his entire career with a 3-point line, it wasn't as prevalent as it is in today's game. Nowadays, guys like Horford are hoisting far more shots from behind the arc. Bird only attempted 1.9 3-pointers a game during his career compared to Horford's 2.2.

FORMER ALL-STAR CHALLENGES USE OF N-WORD BY ALL

The word carries more weight in society than most, especially in the sporting world.

The N-word is one of the most discussed topics of all-time because it has different connotations depending on race. Former NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson has a solution.

Stop using it, period.

Anderson even made a T-shirt to get his message across. He posted it on his social media page Sunday.

It was captioned: "And oh yeah, stop using the word ni... and use my guy ! I have been using it for many years now."

Anderson heard his share of the word when he was becoming a New York City legend. He later played two seasons at Georgia Tech before becoming the No. 2 pick of the New Jersey Nets in 1991.

Perhaps Anderson has a point. The word has done more harm than good. A disappearance is doubtful because it's so common in the black community. Even NBA players Kevin Garnett and Jeff Teague and others use it on their podcasts. It is mostly meant as a term of endearment but remains closely related to the racial epithet directed toward blacks.

It seems Anderson just wants to move on from the word in general.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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