Personal Essay Sample: Larry Bird is My Hero

“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”- Larry Bird. Larry Joe Bird was born on December 7, 1956, in West Baden, Indiana. He was raised in French Lick, Indiana, and attended Indiana State University, and led the program to a 33-1 season in his senior year. The season ended with an NCAA championship game loss to Michigan State. Bird was drafted to the NBA in 1978 but didn’t play until the 79’-80’ season. He won rookie of the year and won the first-ever championship for the Celtics. Everyone knows him for his leadership, greatness, intimidation, and trash-talking. On top of his success he found, he was a leader, an intimidator, a great athlete, and my hero.

To begin, Larry Bird was a great leader, teammate, and person. "If you put all of us in a room--Magic, Jordan, myself, and Bird, Bird would probably be the guy who walked out of the room at the end of the day."- Isaiah Thomas. "I would be all over him, trying to deny him the ball, and all Larry was doing was yelling at his teammates, 'I'm open! Hurry up before they notice nobody is guarding me!' Then he would stick an elbow in my jaw and stick the jumper in my face."- Dennis Rodman. Larry Bird is often described as an ice-cold, witty, clutch. He was an arsenal and would beat you in any way he could find. Bird's overall game endeared him to his teammates and made him one of the greatest kind of leaders. He raised others to his level, instilled a culture of toughness and cooperation, and made the game fun for those lucky enough to play with him.

Next, Larry Bird was a great athlete and basketball player. Bird has great hustle, consistency, and excellence in all areas of play. He won rookie of the year, 3 NBA championships, Larry Bird played in 12 All-Star games, won 2 NBA finals MVP awards, and received the NBA MVP three years in a row. He scored a total of 21,791 points, 8974 rebounds, and 5695 assists in only 13 seasons. He had 52 games with 40 or more points. He also had 17 game-winning shots. He scored 60 points on Atlanta in 1985. These statistics show just how great of a player and athlete Bird was.

Furthermore, Larry Bird was a great intimidator. One of Bird's ways of intimidation was trash talking. In 1988, he arrived at Chicago Stadium for the three-point contest. He asked in the locker room “So, who’s coming in second?”. Later, he won the three-point contest. He is often known for telling coaches no one can guard him and asking if they have anyone who can guard him. His intimidation factor often messed with the minds of his opponents and distracted them. 

In conclusion, Larry Bird was a known leader, athlete, intimidator, and my hero. He always raised anyone he was playing with to his level. He always instilled toughness in his teammates and made the game fun for everyone. He played 12 all-star games in only 13 seasons and won 3 consecutive NBA MVPs. His intimidation always messed with the minds of his opponents. This is why he is one of the best NBA players of all time and why he is my hero.