In one of the most revealing moments of his post-playing career, Bernard King opened up about a forgotten what-if in NBA history, a potential move to the Boston Celtics that never happened.
Speaking on the Cedric Maxwell Podcast, King shared the story of how he came close to joining Larry Bird in Boston after returning from a devastating knee injury, only to choose the Washington Bullets for financial reasons. The decision, as it turns out, drew a very personal response from Bird himself.
“Bird and I never once said a word to one another on the court. Never in the entire 10-year period that we played against each other. But here’s something you don’t know… After I come back from my injury, I came back for six games.”
“I averaged 22 points a game. I established that I can still play and I’m healthy. So now I’m a free agent and I hired Bob Wolfe. You know, in Boston, he was supposed to be Larry Bird’s attorney, right? But he was the best that there was.”
“I got a call from Bob and he said, Bernard, the Celtics are interested in signing you. As I get on the plane, I fly to Boston. I can’t believe I’m going to Boston, right? So I get on the plane, I fly to Boston and I meet with Red Auerbach, K.C. Jones, and I link home.”
“And Red is sitting there smoking his cigar and he says to me, Bernard, why do you want to play for the Celtics? You know, we have a pretty good small forward here. Alluding to Bird without saying his name. And I said, I want to win the championship. That was the end of the meeting.”
“By the time I got back to Bob Wolfe’s office, they made an offer. And I knew I would not have been there in that office with those guys if Bird didn’t give his blessing. Wow. In the interim, while I was meeting with the Celtics, the Washington Bullets called and they were interested in signing me. So I didn’t say yes.”
“I got on a plane and flew to Washington because they wanted to see me work out. Had a pair of sneakers shipped there and I worked out for them. And the offer was double what Boston offered. So I had to take it.”
“You know, it was a different era then. You know, we didn’t make the kind of money the guys are making today. And I’ll never forget this, the first game of that season, we played the Celtics. And Bird, remember, we never talked in 10 years. Bird called me and he said, you cost me a championship…”
King detailed how, after averaging 22 points over six games in his return from injury, he became a free agent and received interest from multiple teams, including the Celtics. Legendary agent Bob Wolfe, who also represented Bird, arranged a meeting with Red Auerbach and K.C. Jones.
Yet King never put pen to paper. Washington offered him double the money Boston did, and in an era when player salaries were a fraction of today’s figures, he made the pragmatic choice.
Had King joined the Celtics in the early ’90s, it could have added another dimension to a roster that was aging around Bird and seeking one last run at a title. Instead, King signed with the Bullets, where he authored one of the most incredible comebacks in league history.
After missing nearly two full seasons due to reconstructive knee surgery, King resurrected his career in Washington. In the 1990–91 season at age 34, he averaged a remarkable 28.4 points per game, earning his fourth All-Star selection.
It was one of the finest seasons ever recorded by a player in the final chapter of his career. King became the oldest player in NBA history at that point to average over 28 points per game.
Prior to that, Bernard King had already built a Hall of Fame résumé. A prolific scorer with the Knicks in the mid-1980s, he led the league in scoring in 1984–85 with 32.9 points per game before his career was derailed by injury.
Known for his lightning-quick release, strength in the post, and unmatched footwork, King was nearly impossible to guard one-on-one. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
But for all his personal accolades, King never won a championship, and neither did Bird again after 1986. Their brief intersection in free agency is one of those moments that makes you wonder: What if?
