“I Don’t Want the $10 Million”: Larry Bird Refused to Manipulate Celtics’ Salary Clause by Retiring Late

Larry Bird is a Boston Celtics Legend. Having played in the 80s and 90s, Larry was born in an era of loyalty to the teams. He dedicated his entire NBA career to Boston’s cause.

A 3x MVP, Larry was the most dominant forward of his time. Nicknamed Larry legend for his legendary campaigns and on-court adventures, Bird’s love for Boston was truly displayed after the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

After returning to the States as an Olympic Gold medalist, Bird headed straight to Celtics’ CEO Dave Gavitt’s office. The 6ft 9″ forward told Dave about his increasingly difficult-to-deal back problem and that he would retire immediately.

Dave had known about Larry’s back problems and knew he would retire soon. However, he advised Larry Bird to stay a few more weeks. Dave wanted Bird to take advantage of his salary clause but Bird straight away refused.

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Larry Bird refused to deceive Celtics for a $10 million paycheck

According to Bird’s salary clause, the Celtics were to pay him $5 million for the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. After he returned from his stint with the 1992 Dream Team, Bird’s back pain had become unbearable. Even sitting on a bench caused the 6ft 9″ legend pain.

So, Larry being Larry, he decided to retire with immediate effect. But Dave Gavitt, who was witness to all the sacrifices Larry had made for the franchise, wanted the beloved athlete to receive the promised $10 million. He asked Larry Bird to postpone his retirement by a few weeks so that the clause would take effect and ensure the paychecks over the next two years.

But Larry did not agree with this plan. He had no intentions of taking the money. When the Game Was Ours, a book co-authored by Bird and Magic Johnson, revealed the instance in detail. The following excerpt is taken from the book:

“LARRY BIRD STRODE into Dave Gavitt’s office on a humid August morning. He had been home from Barcelona only nine days, and there was one unfinished piece of business that had been nagging him. “Dave,” Bird said, “I’m done. I’m retiring.” “Larry, are you sure?” Gavitt said. “I think you should take a few weeks to think it over a little longer.” Gavitt, who had watched Bird suffer in Barcelona, knew better than anyone that his star couldn’t physically play anymore. Yet there was a reason why he wanted to put off Bird’s announcement. If the franchise forward waited two more weeks, his contract for the following two seasons at $5 million each would kick in, and the Celtics would be obligated to pay him, even if he did retire. After everything number 33 had done for the Boston Celtics, Gavitt felt he deserved the money. “I know what you are doing,” Bird said. “I don’t want the money. I didn’t earn it, and I won’t take it. Let’s just get this over with.”

Larry’s legend lives on

When he was active, Larry Bird was an absolute force of nature. He was one of those players who could take over the game at will. A generational talent, he led the Celtics to three championships and was a 12-time All-Star.

His rivalry with Magic Johnson is perhaps the only one of its kind in the NBA. None comes close. It’s hard to speculate whether anyone would ever have a similar rivalry in the league. However, one thing is for sure, no one will be quite like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

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