Larry Bird Essay

Jamal Wallace’s individual differences stand out not only in the class room, but also on the basketball court. Individual differences are the ways in which people are similar and how they vary in their thinking, feelings, and behaviors. The major difference between Jamal and his friends was that he loved to learn. Jamal’s standardized test scores were through the roof compared to his peers and this led private schools to be interested in recruiting him. This starts an internal conflict for Jamal because he doesn’t want to attract attention to the fact that he is smarter than his closest friends. This is shown when he purposefully doesn’t answer questions in the classroom even though he knows the answers. I believe most of Jamal’s individual differences are in his personality. Jamal is ambitious, passionate, and witty. Jamal is driven to do well on and off the court whereas his friends are not.

Kevin’s humble beginnings begin at the University of Texas, where he made his staple as a longhorn.

Hoop Dreams, directed by Steve James, is an outstanding documentary that gives the viewer a perspective on several different elements on the life of a teen basketball player. The film follows Arthur Agee and William Gates, two basketball stars, who live in the rough Chicago area. The inner-city boys get noticed for their skills, and they are recruited to play for dominant team. The audience follows the boy’s journey with basketball, school, and general life matters. The film dives into the reality of living in the hood and chasing a dream of playing professional basketball. The corruption of the school system and sports are examined throughout the film. The audience follows Agee and Gates through their triumphs and failures in their chase to the top. The director, Steve James, uses the film genre of documentary for the story of Arther Agee and William Gates because it highlights the raw moments of their lives.

Jordan burst into the league as a rookie sensation scoring in droves with an unmatchable first step and acrobatic drives and dunks and concluded his career as a cultural icon. Hard work, dedication, and the desire

In the poem, “Ex – Basketball Player” by john Updike, (which is a narrative poem) illustrates the nature of life on how life is potentially is seen has a mirror to other people’s life, especially people who play sports. Life is the physical and mental experience of an individual. An in the poem the main character Flick, supply the poem with a good example of how life is potentially a mirror for other people. This poem is formally organized, even though it locks some qualities, it still haves the qualifications of a good poem. The “Ex Basket Player” is an interested poem because it has a good theme, tone and lots of figurative languages.

Mark Cuban is probably the most recognizable owner in the NBA and maybe all of professional sports. With his cheery, enthusiastic attitude, he is just one of the fans.

Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, and when he was still a toddler, his parents moved to Wilmington, North Carolina.

“The battle you are going through is not fueled by the words or actions of others; it is fueled by the mind that gives it importance” – Shannon L. Alder. The novel, Hoops by Walter Dean Myers, follows the life of Lonnie Jackson, a high school student from Harlem who has an unusually impressive talent for playing basketball. Lonnie’s goal in life is more than just being one of the best players to ever hit the court; for Lonnie wishes to create a new life for himself– one that is free from the struggles of Harlem streets. This goal along with his environment bring constant conflicts in Lonnie’s journey, which gradually develops his character from self-centered to compassionate. Lonnie’s professional relationship with Cal Jones as well as his bond with Paul and Mary-Ann guide him on how to both become a respected player and how to grow up into a noble man.

The Boston Celtics had 29 wins the season before they drafted Bird. The team improved by 32 games to go 61-21 in Bird's first season. The main reason they won so many more games was because of Larry Bird. Bird was not just a shooter, he was also a great passer and rebounder too, which in turn made his teammates better as a whole. In his second year in the NBA, Bird and Celtics won the NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets. Larry Bird would go on to win two more championships with the Celtics. He would also win the Most Valuable Player award three times. This is what Larry Bird said after his second Most Valuable Player award, "While I was still trying to figure out how I could improve my game for the next season, I was notified that I had been selected as the league MVP for the second year in a row"(Bird and Ryan 153). Larry Bird after being in the league for seven years and winning two straight MVPs was still trying to find ways to get better. Bird proved that perseverance and dedication to the sport he loved would lead to a successful and rewarding

Baseball has always been America’s national pastime. In the early and all the way into the mid 50’s, baseball was America and America was baseball. The only thing lacking in the great game was the absence of African American players and the presence of an all white sport. America still wasn’t friendly or accepted the African American race and many still held great prejudice towards them. All this would change when the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey decided he was going to sign a Negro player. Jackie Robinson was that player and Jackie Robinson changed the game, America, and history. By looking specifically at his childhood adversity, college life and the hardships he encountered by becoming the first black player

Thousands upon thousands of men have been scouted, drafted, played, and even managed in Major League Baseball. Yet, a name, synonymous with numerous records, is mostly associated with controversy. Enter Peter Edward “Pete” Rose Sr. Pete Rose grew up in a middle class family, struggled as a student, and then eventually excelled as a baseball player/manager. Even though Pete Rose lived for the sport and broke so many records during his professional career, it was his off-the-field behavior which led to his being banished from baseball and probably the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan's family moved to moved to Wilmington, North Carolina while he was young along with his three siblings. He attended Ogden Elementary School, and

After retiring from professional basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has become a lauded observer of culture and society. In this book, he shares his unique perspective on politics, racism, religion, the media and other topics, focusing on the need for objective thinking and our need to include diverse and conflicting perspectives in order to protect freedom. He also offers solutions to problems such as racism in sports while speaking candidly about his experiences on the court. Jabbar did not judge or wrote in an anger way. In fact, He provides practical advice to address each of the issues in very nice way. He believes that it is necessary to look for solutions that are grounded in reality. I felt like whenever he provided a solution for an issue,

During the 1989-90 season, The bulls signed Phil Jackson to be their new head coach. His new triangle plays helped Jordan use his offensive abilities. As his desire to win a championship developed more and more, he focused a little bit more on his defense than offense. As a result of his desire the Bulls won their first championship in history for the season of 1990-91. After the end of this wonderful and successful

Within Hollywood’s movies depiction of drug addiction, many have failed to represent all true aspects that come along with such lifestyles. The movie, The Basketball Diaries, is based off a novel Jim Carroll wrote from his own diary entries. As a teenager growing up in the sixties, Carroll reveals his progression of drug abuse which eventually leads him addicted to heroin.Heroin is a white powder derived from morphine found in opium. It is commonly prescribed as a painkiller, but is also a popular street drug.The director casted Leonardo DiCaprio as Jimmy, and concentrates on creating the character as a stereotypical drug abuser. DiCaprio’s most captivating scene is when he is going through heroin