Information technology takes decades and a goal of accented perfection to develop a jump shot like Larry Bird'south. The Hick from French Lick was much more than just a shooter, but his power to ascension and fire over any defender was i of the Hall of Famer's greatest strengths. It helped lead the Boston Celtics to NBA supremacy in the 1980s.

Bird had enough of mentors during his 13-year career, but it was his sixth-grade motorbus, of all people, who taught him a fox that shaped i of the greatest jumpers of all time.

Larry Bird is one of the greatest shooters in nba history

Bird was a 49.6% shooter for his career and a 37.6% shooter from deep over his thirteen seasons. When he played in the '80s, iii-pointers hadn't quite caught on notwithstanding — particularly non to the level they accept in the final few years.

The well-nigh iii-point attempts Bird e'er averaged in a single flavour was 3.3. He only had iii different years in which he averaged more than iii attempts per game. Still, he shot ameliorate than xl% from deep in six different seasons.

Extrapolating that to today's NBA when Bird would probably exist taking at least 7 3s per game, if not more, and assuming he still shoots at least his 37.six% career boilerplate, the iii-time NBA champion would have scored closer to 30.0 points per game rather than 24.iii.

One of the prettiest jump shots of all time would certainly translate to the league in 2021 and make Bird an even more dangerous offensive role player. The threat of more than spacing because of his ability to stretch the flooring would brand a player who averaged more than than six assists during his career even more than of a playmaking threat likewise.

Bird's jumper began to take shape in 6th grade

Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics makes a jump shot against the Philadelphia 76ers. | Focus on Sport via Getty Images

In a sit-down interview with ESPN, Bird talked about some of the shooting secrets he picked up over his career that helped turn him into such a deadly marksman. Ane of those tricks was a elementary one he learned from his sixth-form coach.

Bird said an exercise that strengthened his wrists helped him develop his signature jumper. Information technology was the straightforward, old-school move of twisting a roller with strings and weights fastened, he explained:

"So my motorbus said, 'You're going to get your wrist stronger.' He was the varsity coach. So I did that all the time. And I still retrieve today that's i of the reasons I was able to shoot the mode I shot. That, to me, changed everything. I was in the sixth grade — what, x, 12 years old."

Bird on what he learned from his sixth-grade coach that helped develop his jump shot

The three-time NBA MVP said that motion helped develop a wrist-centric jumper that he chosen a "slingshot." Kevin Durant — another one of the deadliest shooters in NBA history — reportedly uses the same exercise.

"More than anything, I [worked] on my wrists. I don't know why.

"And I would tell kids, when they first, 8, 9, ten years old, I would practise wrist exercises. … It'south interesting hearing that [Durant] did that, because to me, I ever thought that was the key for me when I was young."

Bird on hearing that Kevin Durant does the aforementioned shooting exercises he did as a immature player

That stroke led Bird and the Celtics to three NBA championships

The Celtics won three championships with Bird at the captain — 1981, 1984, and 1986. Bird was just 24 and in his second season when Boston won the 1981 title, but he averaged 24.9 points over 17 games in those playoffs, shooting 47% from the flooring and 89.4% from the costless-throw line.

In the 1984 postseason, when Bird began to slowly incorporate the 3-point shot into his arsenal, he averaged 32.two points with a 52.4/41.2/87.nine slash line. In the 1986 playoffs, he took a career-high 3.v 3s per game and shot 41.4% from long range.

Larry Legend began to shoot more 3s equally the seasons went on, peculiarly once some of his athleticism left him as his back began to give out. Bird'south stats in 2021, with the league'due south emphasis on iii-point shooting, would exist wild to look at.

And it all began with an extraordinarily unproblematic wrist practise Bird learned while playing middle school basketball.

All statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference.