Having Disrespected Larry Bird’s Jersey a Year Prior, Charles Barkley Took Painful Shots at the Celtics Legend’s Defense: “I’ll Only Be the 2nd Worst Defensive Player”

Charles Barkley has never been one to shy away from voicing his opinion, no matter the repercussions. Be it during post-match interviews as a player or as an NBA analyst on live TV, if Barkley doesn’t feel good about something, he will more often than not call it out in public. One such trigger for him was the Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird. Barkley expressed his dislike for Bird several times, which included a blatant diss at his defense in 1991.

Just one year prior, in 1990, Sir Charles had disrespected the Celtics superstar before a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. Seeing a fan wearing Bird’s jersey, Barkley had said to the fan to hand him the jersey as his shoes were dirty. It was a typical Barkley comment to make without thinking twice. However, both players went on to have the utmost respect for each other toward the tail end of their careers, with the Chuckster crediting Bird for the league’s success.

Charles Barkley commented on Larry Bird’s defense

In his 1995 book – ‘Sir Charles: Wit and Wisdom of Charles Barkley‘, Charles Barkley spoke about the NBA, rivalries in the league, and his heroes. The Boston Celtics occupied a lot of real estate in the rivalry section, as Chuck despised them during his playing career.

In fact, Barkley seemed pretty dismissive about Larry Bird’s abilities on the defensive end of the floor in his book. The Chuckster wrote:

“As long as Bird’s around, I’ll only be the 2nd-worst defensive player in basketball.”

Even though the NBA superstar met the Celtics only once during the playoffs while playing for the Sixers in 1985, there was no love there between the two sides. With the Celtics being the powerhouses in the Eastern Conference with a ton of past success, it was common for other teams to consider them rivals.

Barkley recited Bird’s quote about retirement

Despite his rivalry with Larry Bird, the 1993 NBA MVP appreciated the comment made by the Celtics legend on retirement. When asked about his retirement, Barkley referenced Bird’s quote by saying he would retire when he is no longer the hero of the team. This statement was in direct correlation to what Bird had said in his retirement speech about new players being the hero of the Celtics.

Charles has always been the go-to player for all the teams he has played for. Even though he could not win an NBA championship in his career, Barkley made a name for himself through his rebounding ability, finishing near the rim, and most importantly – passion for the game.