Latest news with #BasketballLegend
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
When K.C. Jones called Larry Bird the best of all time after just six seasons: "Go down the list of the greats and I doubt you'll come up with anyone with all those credentials"
When K.C. Jones called Larry Bird the best of all time after just six seasons: "Go down the list of the greats and I doubt you'll come up with anyone with all those credentials" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Two championships under his belt (1981 and 1984), a league MVP in '84, a Finals MVP, Rookie of the Year honors, five All-Star nods, and just as many All-NBA selections — all that, and Larry Bird hadn't even completed his sixth season in the league. And as if that resume wasn't impressive enough, the Boston Celtics legend reached yet another milestone on a cold January night in 1985. Advertisement With 33 points against the Washington Bullets, Bird crossed the 10,000-point mark. It wasn't just the numbers or the clutch shots that kept the Celtics ahead in a tight 103-101 win. It was the way Bird usually did it — commanding the game, lifting his teammates, making the right play when it mattered most. And it was on that night that his head coach at the time, K.C. Jones, gave him the ultimate compliment. "He's the best (of all time). Not just because of his scoring. He is getting floor burns, he is getting assists and he is getting rebounds. Go down the list of the greats and I doubt you'll come up with anyone with all those credentials,"Jones said after the Celtics' win. Larry became a bona fide legend Bird's game only grew as the years went by. With each season, the hardware kept piling up, and so did the respect from fans, peers, and rivals. Advertisement By the time his career was in full bloom, Bird had added two more MVP trophies (1985, 1986), two more NBA titles (1986 being the crown jewel of the Celtics' 1980s dominance), and a Finals MVP in '86 to his legendary name. And it didn't stop there. Even in his twilight years, when the back pain started to take its toll, Bird delivered on the biggest stages — including at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where he helped, if not with his game, but with his presence, the Dream Team capture gold. Once a kid playing in the little town of French Lick, Indiana, became a legend and a man who made the NBA popular again, largely thanks to his iconic rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson. Related: "I had two perfect women and I messed it up" - Shaquille O'Neal opens up about destroying his past relationships Jones and Bird shared a special connection Coach Jones shared a special type of connection with Larry Legend. And those words are not some kind that you would tell to your star player to feel better, K.C. meant every single bit. Advertisement This was a man who had earned Bird's respect as an assistant during Larry's early years, and then as head coach, guiding the Celtics to glory. Together, they climbed the NBA mountain, and Jones had a front-row seat to witness Bird's brilliance night in and night out. K.C. even believed Bird had the same approach to basketball as Muhammad Ali had to boxing. "Larry has that Muhammad Ali kind of approach," the C's head coach said at the time, per the Boston Globe. "He gets to you and to your mind before the fight begins. By the time you step in the ring, you're 20 points down." Jones knew greatness when he saw it. And in The Hick from The French Lick, he saw a player who wasn't just piling up numbers — he was changing the game for decades to come. In many ways, Larry's aura mirrored that of Ali. The confidence, the swagger and the ability to make opponents crumble even before the game started. When K.C. called Bird the best of all time, he wasn't exaggerating. He was simply telling it like it was. Plain and simple. Related: Michael Jordan shows off his $115 million luxurious superyacht in Croatia This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"The truth was, I had very little input" - Bird says the Celtics denied him superstar power within the organization
Larry Bird doesn't look back at his Boston Celtics front office stint with a sense of pride. If anything, it was an unforgettable experience, though not in the way legends usually want to be remembered. His time in the C's ivory tower felt more like a PR move than a proper strategic role. The basketball icon who once defined the team's golden era found himself barred from making the decisions that could have shaped the franchise after retirement. Bird sidelined When Paul Gaston brought Larry into the Celtics' front office in the early '90s, it was seen as a sentimental play. Advertisement After all, this was a Boston legend, a three-time MVP, three-time NBA champion, and the guy who embodied Boston basketball. Gaston had done what any owner trying to regain favor with a restless fan base might do — tap into nostalgia and install a hero in the house. "Gaston always told me I could have any job I wanted in the organization, but the truth was, I had very little input," Bird said. "I think Gaston had trouble looking at me as anything except a former superstar, like some kind of figurehead." "In a way, I can understand that, because the first couple of years after I retired, I wasn't around much. But whenever I did come to town, everyone wanted to know what I thought about this player or that player," he continued. At the time, Bird was still revered across Boston. That reverence didn't seem to translate into real decision-making power, though. Advertisement His suggestions on roster moves and coaching hires were routinely ignored. Larry didn't want Sherman Douglas traded, yet Douglas was shipped out. He strongly advised against signing aging All-Star Dominique Wilkins, but Boston brought him in anyway. Bird had also pushed for Larry Brown as head coach, but the C's looked elsewhere, hiring Rick Pitino. There were a lot of differences of opinion and the beginning of a growing disconnect between "The Hick from French Lick" and the power structure he was supposed to be a part of. The team's decision-makers didn't seem to treat his input as strategy — they treated it like fan service. And that dissonance built up, season after season. Even the way players interacted with Bird suggested a lack of clarity in his role. Some saw him as an executive, others as a ceremonial presence. It blurred lines in the locker room and didn't help a franchise already struggling to find its identity after the retirement of its "Big 3" core. Advertisement Related: Scottie Pippen admits he is astounded by how Nikola Jokic plays the game of basketball: "That guy is the best player in basketball" Leaving Boston The years that followed the Celtics' 1980s dynasty weren't kind. The franchise stumbled into mediocrity in the '90s, failing to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for seven straight seasons between 1992 and 1999. Boston's once-feared brand of basketball was now marked by inconsistency and low expectations. And through all of that, Bird remained emotionally tethered to the team. "There's no question I had achieved a level of respect in Boston," he said. "But I spent a lot of years earning that respect. I think it was hard for Gaston to have me around sometimes, because it seemed as if no matter what he did, he took a beating in the press, while in their eyes, I could do no wrong." Advertisement That kind of imbalance didn't sit well with a team owner who navigated both on-court struggles and off-court criticism. Bird, meanwhile, became a symbol of what Boston used to be — and perhaps a reminder of what it had failed to build upon. The fanbase, media, and even rival executives continued associating the Celtics brand with Larry's legacy. Yet inside the organization, his presence created more tension than traction. In 1997, after five years of fighting for a seat at the actual decision-making table, Bird walked away and returned to the Indiana Pacers — this time to take the reins of a Pacers franchise that would, under his leadership, reach the NBA Finals in 2000. Related: "It's disappointing that so many relationships I had with people fell apart" - Bird on why he won't ever consider a front office role with the Celtics
