Larry Bird is arguably the greatest trash talker in NBA history, and former head coach David Fizdale got to witness him work his magic firsthand. Fizdale appeared on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast, where he shared Bird’s savage trash talk to former Atlanta Hawks general manager Billy Knight.
“I didn’t coach when Larry Bird was in the league, but I got to witness his s*** talking up close,” Fizdale said. “So, I went to my first pre-draft camp as a kid, and I was walking with our GM, Billy Knight. Scoring Billy Knight, right? Billy Knight could put that ball in the hole. He was a great player, and we’re walking, and Larry’s walking. And Billy’s like, ‘Hey, you want to meet Larry Bird?’
“You know me,” Fizdale continued. “I’m like, [yeah]… Young kid. Billy Knight go, ‘What’s up, Larry?’ And Larry Bird go, ‘What’s up, Billy Knight? Last time I saw you, you was screaming for help.'”
That was hilarious. Mind you, as Fizdale mentioned, Knight was a very good player. He made one All-Star team in the ABA (1976) and two in the NBA (1977, 1978). Knight had then retired in 1985, and despite nearly two decades having passed since they last played each other, Bird still had to throw in a hilarious jab.
“I’m like 28 years old,” Fizdale stated. “I’m a young coach. It’s the first time I’ve ever meet Larry Bird in my life… Billy was laughing so hard. He was, like ‘I told you, he was crazy.’… To this day, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard somebody hit the button so perfect. They haven’t played basketball in 20 years. They’re retired. They’ve been retired for years, bro.
“And he’s still talking s*** about where he used to cook,” Fizdale added. “The nerve of Larry Bird.”
Bird isn’t going to let anyone forget what he did to them on the court. He dominated against Knight’s teams during his career, averaging 25.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, while shooting 51.4% from the field.
In their last meeting on Feb. 27, 1985, Bird put up 35 points (13-27 FG), 14 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks to lead the Boston Celtics to a 111-102 win over the San Antonio Spurs. That was the far more common outcome when these two faced off, with Bird going 17-7 against Knight in his career. To be fair to the latter, there aren’t too many players who got the better of the former.
Knight did fairly well in those meetings as well, putting up 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 51.3% from the field. He was good, just not Larry Bird good.
Getting back to the trash-talking, you know you’re pretty good at it when Gary Payton calls you the coldest trash-talker ever. Payton was one of the best at it, and LeBron James agreed with him, too. Bird would talk trash to coaches as well when they had White players guard him, and he had mastered that craft.
