Larry Bird was always ready to fire back at whoever dared to say something bad to him. Besides his incredible game, the Boston Celtics legend is known for being a vicious trash-talker who never hesitated to come after those who tried to disrespect him.
Even when things were quiet, Larry took his opportunity to say something to rivals, but he was the one under attack. Bird took every play in the book to blast his opponent. There are many stories about this, including the time he dropped a bunch of points on the Utah Jazz after announcing he felt he would have a good night.
Moreover, one time he went off on a rookie Reggie Miller, who tried to mess with Larry, but No. 33 wasn’t having any of that. Before Michael Jordan took things personally, there was Larry Bird berating players who dared to say something to him.
When Larry Bird Taught Reggie Miller A Big Lesson
During his rookie season, Miller tried to trash-talk Bird during a crucial moment of the game. Bird didn’t take any of that, reminding Miller that he was one of the premiere shooters in the league and somebody he wouldn’t like to make upset.
During a close Pacers-Celtics game, Larry Bird was sent to the free-throw line with 20 seconds to go. It hasn’t been specified which game this came from when the story was retold, but our research suggests it could be two games from that season; 15th November 1987, and 15th March 1988.
Miller tried to heckle Larry Bird and talk trash to him while he was at the free-throw line. In response, Larry Bird clapped back at him by reminding Miller that he was the best shooter in the league and that Miller had no grounds to say anything to him, especially about his shooting prowess.
“Rook, I am the best f*cking shooter in the league. In the league, understand? And you’re up here trying to f*cking tell me something?”
Larry always made it clear that he was a player who took the game very seriously, and if somebody tried to disrupt that, he would make them pay. Miller learned that lesson in his rookie season, but I’m sure he tried to go after Bird a couple of times after that first encounter.
They joined forces on the Pacers eventually, trying to win a championship that never arrived, thanks to somebody called Michael Jordan. Still, this start of the relationship between Miller and Bird is memorable. They clashed 15 times on the court, with Larry winning 9 duels and Miller getting 6.
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