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Both with the ball and with his words, there were few NBA players as great as Larry Bird. As many guys in the league who competed against him during his playing days can tell you, Bird possessed the unique ability of verbally ripping you apart and then backing it up with effortless flair out on the court.
No one was spared. It didn't matter if you were a future legend, like Dominique Wilkins and Dr. J, or a head coach, such as Doug Collins and Chuck Daly, or someone who also repped his home state of Indiana, or a just a white guy—you got treated by Larry Legend.
Excuse the old man talk here, but when it comes to the NBA today, shit-talking isn't what it used to be. Sure, you got a handful of players in the league trying to keep the spirit alive, but it's nowhere near what Bird used to unleash on his opponents on a daily basis. Sit back, watch and learn. Here are The 15 Coldest Larry Bird Trash-Talking Stories.
So, Who's Coming in Second Place?
Victim(s): Michael Cooper
Once the Three-Point Contest was established in 1986, Larry Bird quickly established himself as the best NBA player to take part in the competition. After taking the crown in the inaugural year, Larry Legend was feeling himself a little too much. Oh, who are we kidding? This was just Bird being Bird. Prior to the 1987 contest, Michael Cooper recalls, “Larry walks in and says, 'I hope all you guys in here are thinking about second place, because I’m winning this.'...And he started shooting and he just didn’t miss.”
The three-point competition was the place where Bird managed to deploy some of his worst trash talk. In 1990, when Bird was no longer competing, winner Craig Hodges was asked if he had felt as though his victory felt tainted since he hadn't needed to go through Bird. Hodges responded, “He knows where he can find me.” But, of course, Bird got the last laugh, firing back at Hodges, “Yeah, at the end of the Bulls bench.”
“I’mma Put On a Show For You”
Victim(s): Los Angeles Lakers
The match-ups between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were always legendary. But one time, Magic was nursing an injury that forced him to miss their game against one another. Still, that didn't stop Bird from delivering some epic trash talk, as Johnson recalled in an interview with ESPN:
"One time, I was hurt. I was on the bench. Larry comes by during warm-ups and says, 'Don't worry, Earvin. I'm gonna put on a show for you.' I think he scored 40 that night and I think he only missed two shots. He'd get that walk goin' and that blond hair floppin' and you knew you were gonna be in for a long, long night."
Even when opponents weren't on the court with him, Bird's trash talk would get under their skin.
The Damage Is Done
Victim(s): Utah Jazz
Larry Bird was having one hell of a game against the Utah Jazz on February 18, 1985. After three quarters, the Boston Celtics were up 90-66 and Bird already had a triple-double with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. With the Celtics holding a comfortable lead, Larry Legend sat out the entire fourth quarter, even though he was one steal short of a quadruple-double. After the game, Bird was asked if he wanted to play and try to get that 10th steal. Bird said, “What for? I already did enough damage to them.” 'Nuff said.
“I Am the Best F**king Shooter in the League”
Victim(s): Reggie Miller
In his book, I Love Being The Enemy, Reggie Miller talks about the time he made an effort to distract Larry Bird, who was trying to knock down some pivotal free throws down the stretch. After hitting his first attempt, Bird told Miller, “Rook, I am the best fucking shooter in the league. In the league, understand? And you’re up here trying to fucking tell me something?” And, of course, Larry made his second shot from the charity stripe.
Bird Spells It Out
Victim(s): Dallas Mavericks
One important factor that separated Larry Bird from most of the other trash talkers in the league was that the Celtics star would back up whatever he said. In a 1986 game against the Dallas Mavericks, Bird walked over to their bench after a timeout and told them that Danny Ainge would inbound the ball to Dennis Johnson, or “DJ,” who would find him in the corner and he would step back to attempt a three-pointer. After detailing the entire play, Bird asked the Mavs bench, “So you got that? I’m gonna stand right here. I’m not going to move. They’ll pass me the ball, and the next sound you hear will be the ball hitting the bottom of the net.” And that is exactly what happened.
“Get Someone On Me or I’m Gonna Go For 60”
Victim(s): Chuck Daly/Dennis Rodman
Larry Bird was scared of no one. Not even Dennis Rodman. During his years with the Detroit Pistons, Rodman recalls a time when Bird made four straight baskets on The Worm and walked over to Pistons head coach Chuck Daly. “Who’s guarding me, Chuck? Is anyone guarding me? You better get someone on me or I’m gonna go for 60.”
On the ensuing possession, Larry Legend continued the trash talk. Rodman recalls, “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!'” After knocking down another jumper on Rodman, Bird went over to Daly again, saying, “Coach, you better get this guy out and send in somebody who’s going to D me up because it's too easy when I’m wide open like this.”
“I’m the Best Damn Player From Indiana”
Victim(s): Shawn Kemp
As Larry Bird has already established, he's “the best fucking shooter in the league.” But, we should have you know that Bird is also the best damn player from Indiana. Just ask Shawn Kemp, who hails from Elkart, Ind. During a timeout, Kemp shared Bird's comment to him with teammate Xavier McDaniel. After nailing a three-pointer in Shawn's grill, Bird had told Reign Man, "I’m the best damn player from Indiana.” That's how you literally hit an opposing player close to home.
No White Guys
Victim(s): White basketball players
When it came to basketball, Larry Bird didn't care about race. Okay, maybe a little, but his answer may surprise you. “As far as playing, I didn't care who guarded me. Red, yellow, black. I just didn't want a white guy guarding me. Because it's disrespect to my game,” Bird said, who grew up in Indiana mostly competing against African American players.
During a 1987 game against the Chicago Bulls, the Celtics legend made it clear how offended he was about having white players guard him when Ben Poquette stepped up to him. Initially, Bird laughed at then head coach Doug Collins before telling him, “Ben Poquette? Are you fucking kidding me?” Larry Legend went on to drop 41 points in that contest.
Merry Christmas!
Victim(s): Chuck Person
Larry Bird may have been one of the biggest trash-talkers in the league, but during the holiday season, he was in the giving mood. According to Chuck Person, Larry Bird walked over to him before the Boston Celtics took on the Indiana Pacers and told The Rifleman that he had a Christmas present waiting for him. During the game, Bird took a shot from the beyond the arc right in front of Person, who was sitting on the bench, and right after releasing the rock, Larry told him, “Merry fucking Christmas!” Then, the ball went into the hoop.
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“Fly, Bird”
Victim(s): Brad Daugherty
Sometimes, Larry Bird's trash talk just comes on the fly. No pun intended. Brad Daugherty remembers the time he, like many before him, got treated by Larry Legend in the middle of a play. “Bird catches the ball in the corner and I take off running at him,” Daugherty said. “Right when he’s getting ready to shoot, I jump and as I go by him, he tells me “fly, bird” and I go right by him, he shoots the ball and it’s nothing but nylon.”
Bird Also Gives Career Advice
Victim(s): Robert Reid
Larry Bird also likes to hit his opponents with the short and sweet trash-talk. In the case of Robert Reid, one teammate remembers the time Bird offered some career advice to him. “Larry Bird told Reid he should have stayed in preaching! That was funny, he had 50 points.”
Bird Sons 'Nique
Victim(s): Dominique Wilkins
During his rookie season in 1982-83, Dominique Wilkins walked over to four-year pro Larry Bird right before tip-off; Bird, of course, was having none of it. “One of the first times I ever played against him, I went out for the opening tip and I went to shake his hand. He just stood there and looked at me stone-faced with his hands behind his back,” Wilkins said. “I was like, ‘Whoa.’ Then we were getting ready for the tip and he says to me, ‘You don’t belong in this league, Homes.’ I couldn’t believe it, but it happened so fast, I didn’t know what to think.”
It didn't end there. Bird continued hitting him with the trash talk. “Then they had the ball and I was on him and he said, ‘I don’t know why they got you guarding me, Homes. You can’t guard me.’ Then, whap, he hit a 3,” 'Nique revealed. “Then he came down again and said, ‘They made a mistake putting you on me, Homes,’ and he took another three.”
Eventually, Wilkins got some revenge. “So now I’m hot. I mean, I’m steaming,” he said. “Then a little while later, I came down on a break and he was backpedaling. I just went right after him. I jumped up and he tried to challenge, but I took that right through the rim. He fell and hit the basket support.” But, surprise, surprise, Bird got the last laugh. “He got up and said, ‘I like you, rookie. You’ve got (guts).’ I was happy for a second, and then he said, ‘But I’m still going for 40 on you tonight.”
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Living On a Prayer
Victim(s): George McCloud/Indiana Pacers
In yet another edition of Larry Bird roasting the rookies, former Pacer George McCloud remembers the time he stepped up to guard Bird during the waning minutes of a game. Larry Legend looked over to then head coach Dick Versace (awesome name by the way) and the rest of the Indiana bench and yelled, “Hey, I know you guys are desperate, but can’t you find someone who at least has a prayer?”
“I’m Going to Play This One Left-Handed”
Victim(s): Portland Trail Blazers
When you're as great as Larry Bird, you need to challenge yourself. Even if that means playing a majority of the game left-handed. Bill Walton remembers a time when Bird unleashed some incredible trash-talk in the direction of him and his Portland Trail Blazers teammates. “At the end of one of the trips,” Walton said, “He had accomplished every goal, we hadn’t lost a game on the trip and Larry told all of us players and the media too, we were all standing around waiting to leave, he said, 'Tomorrow night’s the last game of the trip, I’m going to play this one left-handed, at least through three quarters.'”
Bird didn't play three quarters left-handed, but maybe he should have for the sake of the Trail Blazers, because the Celtics forward ended up with 47 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Bird also sent the game into overtime with a game-tying shot and then made the game-winning shot later on.
“I Got This Guy in the Torture Chamber”
Victim(s): Fortunately N/A
If you haven't realized it already, when Larry Bird stepped onto that court, he gave approximately zero fucks. Danny Ainge recalls those instances when Bird would tell him, “Give me the ball, or DJ [Dennis Johnson] give me the ball, I got this guy in the torture chamber right here.” Oh wait, we forgot the best part! Ainge paused before admitting Larry would make that comment “While the guy was standing right there listening to him say it!”