Robert Parish’s trash talk was the reason Larry Bird entered the inaugural 3-point contest

When hearing the words' 3-Point Contest,' the likes of Stephen Curry, Ray Allen, and Peja Stojakovic come first to mind. However, Larry Bird's influence on the hyping-up of the event cannot be overlooked, as he won the first three of them. Though the three-time MVP cemented his place in NBA history, he might not have even entered the inaugural 3-point contest had it not been for Robert Parish instigating him.

Bird on how he entered the contest only because of 'The Chief'

The 1980 Boston Celtics roster was renowned for its collection of relentless trash-talkers. According to an ESPN article by Jeff Caplan, Parish played a pivotal role in provoking Bird by questioning his potential to win the inaugural 3-point contest.

Determined to prove his mettle to 'The Chief,' the two-time Finals MVP entered the competition.

"I wasn't going to do it all, but my teammates, especially Parrish, said I couldn't win it anyway, so that's why I went down there and did it, " Bird said . "I figured after what Robert said, I thought, 'Well hell, I'm going to be there anyway, I might as well go out there and win it.'"

Larry knew he'd every time he got past the first round

In a different interview, the 12-time All-Star reflected on his approach to three-point contests wherein he confessed to not investing significant practice time in preparation, instead focusing on simply progressing beyond the first round . Bird remained assured that success would naturally follow once he achieved this initial milestone.

"Me and Danny started practicing a little bit, and, next thing you know, we're out there playing and shooting. The more rounds you go through, the more confidence you got. There was never a time when I thought I couldn't win the competition," Bird said. "There's always a time when, if the ball was flowing right, the more I shot, the better I got. But my whole mentality about that was if I got through the first round, I was going to win."

While some may view Bird's mentality as bordering on arrogance, the truth is that he believed in his abilities more than anyone. The 3-time NBA Champion demonstrated an ability to disregard external pressures and distractions on most occasions as he was solely bent on honing his craft.

Related: Larry Bird shares why he loved using the three-point shot: " It's really a killer"