Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird became Eastern Conference rivals in the 1980s immediately after the Hawks star was drafted. Unsurprisingly, the two didn’t see eye-to-eye throughout their careers. They clashed against each other in 57 games, but didn’t exchange any words and didn’t even shake hands.
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During his appearance on All The Smoke pod with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, Wilkins revealed how his on-court tussles with Bird prevented the development of any kind of connection between them. The two refused to acknowledge each other for more than a decade.
Per Wilkins, the basketball culture at the time discouraged superstars from different teams from bonding with each other, which paved the way for animosity on the court. The former Hawks star said,
“You know Larry and I, we played against each other like 12-13 years, we never shook hands, never spoke. As great players back then, you didn’t want another great player to get close to you. None of us liked each other, never spoke. I didn’t speak to him for 13 years.”
Wilkins recalled that Bird did speak with him once during his rookie year. But it was one of Bird’s signature trash-talking moments. It was during the 1982-83 season when the former Hawks star first played the Celtics at the Garden.
After Bird nailed a three in his face, the forward committed a hard foul on him out of frustration. The Celtics legend applauded his gall but informed him that it won’t be enough to prevent him from getting at least 30 points.
Wilkins recalled that Bird told him, “Hey Rook, I like you, you got b***s. I’m still getting 30 on your a** today”
As usual, Larry Legend walked the talk and dropped 39 points on Wilkins during their sixth and final Regular-season battle of the season. He’d also edge out the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.
This is why Bird was respected by his peers. He delivered on what he promised.
