Not only was Larry Bird one of the greatest players in the history of basketball, but he was also the greatest trash talker, too.
That is, at least, according to former teammates and rivals who shared the court with the 12-time NBA All-Star.
“He would run by you and say, ‘I told you, motherf*****. I told you I was going to do that.’ Or he’d smack you on the butt and say, ‘Nice try,’” ex-teammate Kevin Gamble once recalled.
“You had to get up to play him because he was one of those guys that would torch you and talk s*** until the end,” former opponent Xavier McDaniel said.
Even nine-time All-Star Dominique Wilkins was on the end of a brutal Bird putdown as a rookie.
‘Larry Legend’ spent the best part of 13 seasons dominating all who crossed him and the Boston Celtics, en-route to three NBA Championships with the franchise during the 1980s.
When all was said and done, his iconic No. 33 jersey was retired in Boston, and Bird walked away with three MVP awards, and 21,791 points to his name.
He also won the NBA’s three-point contest three times, and led the league in three-point scoring twice, while he was also the free-throw percentage leader in four separate seasons.
Bird, who was once touted to team up with Michael Jordan, stepped back from basketball in 1992 soon after winning Olympic gold with the United States in Barcelona.
And while he was no longer on the court, the trash talk continued, at least for a little while.
Upon learning about Bird’s retirement, New York Knicks superstar Patrick Ewing joked about how he would miss torching the Celtics legend.
Throughout the ’80s, the two rivals engaged in intense battles, striving to lead their respective teams to Eastern Conference glory.
And as Larry Legend bowed out, Ewing couldn’t resist one parting shot.
“I will be sad. I won’t be able to bust his a** on the court anymore,” he said at the time.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for Bird to clap back.
“As far as Patrick, he’s had eight years to bust me,” the retiring icon responded.
“He hasn’t done it yet. I couldn’t stay around a lifetime and wait on him.”
Indeed, the history books favor Bird.
The pair went toe-to-toe in 30 games, and Larry Legend holds a winning record of 22-8 over ‘Big Pat’.
He won 17 of those games in the regular season and five in the playoffs.
Despite a fierce NBA rivalry that saw barbs exchanged even after Bird’s retirement, the pair did actually become close friends during the Olympics.
Both featured on the 1992 Dream Team, and during their downtime, discovered a bond that went beyond basketball.
“Larry and I, we got very close during the Olympics. At first, during New York against Boston, I used to hate him, because he talked so much trash,” Ewing reflected.
“But once we finally got to sit down in a relaxed atmosphere, we got to be very good friends.”
Legendary sports writer Jackie MacMullan also lifted the lid on the rather unique nickname that came from their friendship.
“The two men exchanged fierce trash-talking darts when the Celtics and Knicks squared off. But that enmity melted away in Barcelona,” MacMullan said on her Icons Club podcast.
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“They were soon named ‘Harry and Larry,’ bosom buddies, shocking the hell out of their teammates.”
From a great rivalry, an even greater friendship was formed.
And the trash talk that followed as Bird retired may well have been a show of respect between two all-time greats.
