Larry Bird will forever be synonymous with two things: The Boston Celtics and trash talk. The Indiana State alumni never backed down from anybody, and he wasn’t afraid to call his shot. Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins came face to face with that fact early on in his career.
During a recent appearance on the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Wilkins told a story from his rookie year in the league. He noted that he and Bird never spoke to each other, but during their first meeting, he earned the Celtics great’s respect.
And he did it in the most Bird way possible. (H/t HoopsHype)
“Larry and I, we played against each other like 12, 13 years. We never shook hands. We never spoke. Never,” Wilkins said. “Great players back then, you didn’t want another great player to get that close to you. So none of us liked each other. Never spoke. I didn’t speak to him for 13 years straight!
“Hey listen, first time I played against him. I’m a rookie. I’m glad to be in the league. I’m in the Boston Garden, and I’m guarding him, right? First play of the game, he said, ‘I don’t know why you got you guarding me homes’. He shoots a three, and… he made the three… But this son of a b**** just called me homes?.”
But for as incredible as Bird was, Wilkins matched his energy. He wasn’t about to back down from a challenge, even if it was against one of the best players in league history.
“And so the next play, you know I’m coming. I’m pissed,” Wilkins said. “So, he comes out, he shifts to his right, and I jump. I said ‘I got him,’ and I’m pumping it, and I banged it on him. And he on the ground, he fouled me, and I’m pointing, and he said, ‘Hey rook,’ and I’m like, ‘What!?’ He said, ‘I like you, you got balls, but I’m still getting 30 on your a** tonight.’
“He got about 37, but I wasn’t mad because I’m paying my dues. That’s Larry. But that was the only time he ever talked trash to me because he knew I was going to keep coming.”
Bird and Wilkins went on to have outstanding careers, and even though Wilkins never got the same amount of hardware as the Celtics legend, he still cemented himself as one of the game’s greats.
