Larry Bird is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in NBA history. His rivalry with Magic Johnson, and subsequently Michael Jordan, was the building block of the NBA’s global success. With three championships under his belt, Bird is a bona fide Celtics legend.

Recently, one of his former Celtics teammates, a 2x Champion himself, went on the ‘Knuckleheads Podcast’ to talk about his career and what it was like playing with the Birdman.

Danny Ainge opens up about Larry Bird

Danny Ainge, 2x NBA Champion, and Bird’s former teammate got drafted into the Boston Celtics just three years after Larry Bird. Even in his first official game in the NBA, he automatically knew who was the Top Dog. Larry was always right in predicting the outcome of the games, and with his dominant playing style, Larry Bird’s calls almost always outweighed that of the coach.

“Guys like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, M. L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell… I always thought that I was a very confident player, but these guys played with unbelievable confidence, especially Bird. A whole another level of confidence!“, Ainge laughs. Currently an executive for the Utah Jazz, Ainge averages 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 1,042 regular season games. Yet he felt awe-struck whenever he laced up to play with ‘The Great White Hope’.

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He recalls that it wasn’t easy being Bird’s teammate because he just wouldn’t pass the ball to players who hadn’t earned his respect first.

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Larry played with a superior level of confidence in comparison to all his teammates and, according to Ainge, everyone knew. He mentions in the podcast that Bird’s confidence was so infectious that everyone on the team could feed off Larry’s energy to improve their in-game performances. Larry demanded everyone’s respect.

Larry Bird’s impact on the game of basketball

Larry is not only a Boston Celtics legend, but he is NBA royalty. He is a three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986), two-time NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986), and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player.

His contribution to the game is a lot more than just a few accolades of excellence. His way of playing basketball was so fearless and unapologetic that it inspired a whole generation to develop a killer mindset like him. He was an artist who painted the court with his dazzling passes, his killer jumpers, and his signature fadeaways.

He was the epitome of hard work as he overcame injuries, adversities, and fierce rivals including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and many others. He inspired the next generation to be fierce competitors like him, including Michael Jordan, who was the fiercest of the lot.

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Who is your favorite NBA legend and why? Let us know in the comments below!