Larry Bird Smoking Newports Before a Game Left Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson Shellshocked

The great Larry Bird spent 13 years in the NBA playing for the Boston Celtics. When he retired in 1992, many people hoped that he would come back to coach the Celtics. However, Bird went on to pick up the coaching job in Indiana and that is where Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson played under him. During a recent appearance on The Mark Jackson Show, the ex-teammates recalled their time in Indiana and one specific pre-game encounter with their coach, Larry Bird.

After bringing up the encounter, Jackson asked Miller to tell the full story. The Pacers legend said that they were getting their layups in before the game. Failing to recall what made them go and look for their coach, Miller and Jackson jogged to the locker room in search of Larry Bird. To their surprise, even after looking all over the place and asking a few people for help, they couldn’t find him.

The search eventually came to an end when they were told to go and check the showers. He said, “So, we head back to the showers because we had to ask him this question before we got out there.” Jackson and Miller found their coach in the showers, but the visual was something that still makes them chuckle. Miller said, “Larry legend is sitting in a chair, got a pack of Newport, just smoking away.”

Even though Bird asked his players if they needed his help, both of them were so confused by the sight that they ended up allowing him more time to finish smoking his cigarette. Miller unveiled that in all these years, that topic has never been brought up to the great Larry Bird. It could have been done as a sign of respect from Reggie Miller because he has been on the record, admitting the impact Bird had on his career.

Reggie Miller modeled his game after Larry Bird

Widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, Larry Bird has left a massive footprint on the game. His impact is such that veterans like Magic Johnson, and the notoriously competitive Michael Jordan see him as an untouchable force on the court in his prime. It’s the same story with Reggie Miller. The five-time NBA All-Star admitted on the show that he developed his game after years of idolizing Larry Bird.

He said, “I patterned my game after Larry Legend. Being from Riverside, this is the mid 80s. Of course it was Lakers-Boston, that was the rivalry, and you had to pick sides. So, you know, we were Lakers fans, but I patterned my game after Larry Bird. I wanted to know how he worked out, how he approached games, his trash talking, all that.” After years of trying to learn the ropes from the legend, Miller ended up becoming one himself. Besides that, both of them are known for their precision three-point shooting.