It’s awkward enough being late to your first meeting at work. Now imagine if that meeting was with Larry Legend. Al Harrington was on his former teammate Mark Jackson’s podcast when the show’s co-host Bluu asked him about missing his first meeting with Larry Bird.
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Harrington was drafted by the Pacers in 1998 and he recalled the day he was scheduled to fly to Indianapolis for his first press conference. “I’m staying at the North Marriott…The North Marriott is at the airport,” Al began his story, trying to explain how he was late despite staying close to the airport.
The 44-year-old continued, “The taxi comes and the guy I was telling you about, my manager named Sylvester Clay, he was obese. He was a big dude, like huge right? Car comes. He can’t get in the car. He can’t fit.”
Harrington went on, “Duck his head in, go leg first, go this way trying to get in the joint.” Unfortunately, Clay was still unable to get in. And instead of letting the newly drafted NBA player go ahead to the airport, he asked him to wait for another car.
“A van finally comes. Long story short, we get to the airport…I get to the thing, the lady closing the door…Obviously, plane takes off,” Harrington shared. Finally, he had to take the next flight to Indianapolis.
Now this meant that he missed his first meeting with then Pacers head coach, Larry Bird. Harrington was very nervous stepping into the arena for the first time, late.
The teenager soon met his new head coach and went for a handshake. However, the 3x NBA champion wasn’t very happy to see him.
“He [Bird] didn’t say hi, he didn’t say welcome to the team, he said, ‘Don’t ever f***ing be late again.'”
Harrington recounted as Mark Jackson and Bluu could barely contain their laughter.
After all, what else can you expect from the one and only Larry Legend?
Larry Bird’s fiery personality helped him excel as a coach and executive
Bird was such a prolific trash talker back in the day that he couldn’t shake the habit even after his playing days. Former NBA forward Tim Thomas experienced it first-hand. “That man was talking sh*t to me as a coach,” Thomas shared.
It was exactly that competitive fire that enabled Bird to push his players to the limit. After all, he had done it himself, winning at the highest level. And even as a coach, he continued adding to his trophy cabinet.
In just his first season of coaching, Bird led the Pacers to 54 wins and the Eastern Conference Finals, bagging the Coach of the Year Award. In 2000, he would guide his team to the NBA Finals, though they would eventually fall in 6 to the Shaq and Kobe-led Lakers.
The Pacers would then name Larry Bird their President of basketball operations in 2003.
