Larry Bird Quotes

Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise

Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. You’ve got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work.

If you look at all aspects of all sports, everything comes down to basics and fundamentals.

What people don't realize is that professionals are sensational because of the fundamentals.

Everything emanates from the basics, from your base. If you don't have a strong base, I'm sorry, but you are always going to be coming back to it, trying to reattain.

As a former NCAA basketball player, many of the skills I now rely on as a leader took root on the basketball court: teamwork, integrity, and resilience are just some of the traits I've carried over into my professional game.

Practice habits were crucial to my development in basketball. I didn't play against the toughest competition in high school, but one reason I was able to do well in college was that I mastered the fundamentals. You've got to have them down before you can even think about playing.

Some people are so busy learning the tricks of the trade that they never learn the trade.

There are really only two plays: Romeo and Juliet, and put the darn ball in the basket.

Technique is the basis of every pursuit. If you're a sportsman or you're a singer or a swimmer, well that comes under sport but you have to develop a basic technique to know what you're doing at any given time.

I'm a competitive person and I love the challenge of mastering new things.

I've always kept it very simple. I'm a big believer that basics stay the same for all the formats.

Basketball is basketball, but with each level, there's new challenges and new things you have to pick up.

Maths is like a ladder - if you miss the first few rungs, you can't jump up, so start with the basics.

I can rap, play ball, design T-shirts, all that.

The only thing I can control is winning on the basketball court.

I just play ball. I just get lost in the game.

I am not going to play basketball because I have to play. I am going to play for fun.

I've always been a self-motivated guy for basketball.

Growing up, a lot of my shots came off of me dribbling and shooting it.

Sometimes you've just got to will it into the hoop.

You can never really get away from the fundamentals of anything that you're doing.

Basketball requires discipline. So does writing. Basketball requires practice. So does writing. Basketball requires resilience. So does writing.

If you spend too much time learning the 'tricks' of the trade, you may not learn the trade. There are no shortcuts. If you're working on finding a short cut, the easy way, you're not working hard enough on the fundamentals. You may get away with it for a spell, but there is no substitute for the basics. And the first basic is good, old fashioned hard work.

You build a player like you build a house. You start with the foundations. The fundamentals.