One of the most fun things to wander through in YouTube is old Larry Bird stories. Bird in some ways was the most normal person in the world. He was a small town guy and on a daily basis, he’s just a regular guy. Could be your neighbor.
When it came to basketball though, he was as cutthroat as anyone has ever been and one of the all-time great trash talkers too.
So was Charles Barkley, who continues to entertain and regale fans with his gift of gab.
In this video, Barkley tells some of his favorite
Bird stories, including how Bird goaded Julius Erving into a fight near the end of his career by repeatedly saying “Chuck! Better get this old man off of me!”
He also was in the All-Star locker room when Bird came in and famously asked who was playing for second place in the three point shooting contest.
Bird was a great player and people who wonder if he couldn’t cut it today miss a couple of important points. First, no one had a stronger will. Second, the game is more open and less physical than it was in his day and no one could control him now because they couldn’t put a body on him in the same way. And third, he destroyed people psychologically. Bird was the most ruthless competitor imaginable. If you’re not sure about that, remember that Michael Jordan’s Bulls never beat Bird’s Celtics in a playoff series.
