The NBA may have cracked down on players fighting quite a bit, but there are moments in the game’s history many will never forget. The Malice at the Palace stands out as one of those, while Charles Barkley throwing a ball at Shaquille O’Neal is also an excellent example. However, two greats of the game once seriously got into it with one another on the floor, Larry Bird and Julius Erving, tried duking it out with one another in 1984.
The fight itself has been recounted by some of the players that were around at the time. Robert Parish revealed the things Larry Bird said to Dr. J were so bad, even he would’ve thrown a punch if he was in Erving’s situation. And referee Dick Bavetta went on to reveal some of the words that were exchanged between the two as well.
Julius Erving Explained What Happened Between Him And Larry Bird During Their Infamous Fight In 1984
Usually, the players that know they are the best on the court don’t tend to get into brawls with one another. However, frustration can get the best of even the greatest. And as far as Dr. J was concerned, it was Larry who was frustrated before their fight, explaining on ESPN that the situation escalated because Bird was mad at the referees.
(starts at 2:13 minutes):
“But I think if you watched the highlights, this was in November, was it 84? It was Charles’ first year. Moses and I, had just won the NBA championship so we were coming back as defending champions.
“And early, in November, Celtics were ready to go. I mean they came out ready, red-hot, and roaring. And we just won this thing, we played the longest season. So we’re just getting started, and we’re breaking in a new player.
“So, the fight, actually, there was an offensive foul called on Larry. He didn’t like the call, so he got mad at the referee. So he came down the court, he was kinda like, you know, stomping and in front of his bench. And it looked like in a moment, like he was going to take a swing.
“And it was very uncharacteristic because we did Converse commercials together, we did Spalding commercials together. So you know, we were kinda cool. I thought something was going to happen because he was mad. But he was mad at the referee, he wasn’t mad at me. And I just extended my arm to hold him back and it ended up sliding up to his neck. So it was inadvertent, I didn’t really mean to grab him by the neck. I pushed him in the chest, and next thing I know, it’s a melee.”
Ultimately, it’s hard to know what exactly happened that the situation escalated to the point of a fistfight between two of the game’s greatest. However, Bird and the Celtics would finally go on to win the NBA championship that season, so it would seem that Larry got the last laugh in that particular year at the very least.
