Larry Bird is quite the legend in his own right, and he proved that status when he hilariously denied Hollywood star Ben Affleck’s extra request when he wanted an autograph for Matt Damon.
Speaking to The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, while promoting ‘Air’ that features Affleck and Damon, the former narrated a prize Bird story that shows how the Boston Celtics superstar responded to extra favors.
“After we sold ‘Good Will Hunting,’ I reached out to Larry to get him to inscribe something for Matt’s birthday present. There was a quote from that [VHS highlight] video that I wanted Larry to write. It was from a game when he’d pulled up at the 3-point line to beat Dallas with a shot and the announcer talked of ‘the wonderful arrogance of Larry Bird! Two to tie, 3 to win!’ I asked Larry if he’d inscribe all that to Matt and he just said, ‘Too long,’ and wrote, ‘Matt . . . best . . . Larry.’ ”
Trust Bird to do just what he promised, and nothing more. And those who have observed the forward at close quarters, the interaction with Affleck will surely not be categorized as rude, as it’s just how the former NBA champion would have responded to anyone in the actor’s place.
As for Damon, he would probably be pleased as punch for getting hold of Bird’s autograph, with or without extra lines.
There Was A Time When Larry Bird Almost Refused To Play For The Boston Celtics
Larry Legend was pivotal in the Boston Celtics winning three of their championships, but there was a time when he almost refused to play for the team.
During contract negotiations in 1984, Bird and then Celtics team President Red Auerbach seemingly couldn’t agree upon a $25,000 clause. And Bird said he might have sat out for one full year had that issue not been taken care of.
“I remember the contract I signed in 1984, just after we won a championship,” Larry wrote in his book, Bird Watching. “Red Auerbach called me in the summer and said, ‘Come down and let’s get this contract done.’
“I said, ‘Should I bring [agent] Bob Woolf?’ He said, ‘You can if you want.’ So Mr. Woolf and I go down to the Celtics offices, and Red’s got his general manager Jan Volk, in there, and it’s going fine, but then we start getting down to numbers.
“I don’t remember what it was, but I would have sat out the whole year before I’d let Red hold me up over $25,000. I ended up getting my $1.8 million, and the $25,000, and I was happy about that.
While it’s hard to imagine Bird refusing, the man knew what he was worth, and he stuck to his guns when he wanted to. And in the end, the franchise will believe they made the right move as Bird lived up to his end of the bargain.
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