Celtics legend Larry Bird never endorsed any brands. However, he made an exception for a local restaurant in Boston due to a unique clause.
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Larry Bird was one of the greatest players to ever play in the league. He won three NBA titles and two Finals MVP awards in five appearances. In addition, he earned three regular-season MVP awards. Moreover, he received 12 All-Star selections and nine All-NBA First Team nods.
Bird is one of the most influential players in the history of the league. Together with Lakers icon Magic Johnson, the pair took the league to an unprecedented height. Even though he left the game three decades ago, he still influences players in today‘s game.
Despite being one of the most popular players, he always shied away from the spotlight. As a result, when a local restaurant owner approached him to endorse his store, the 12x All-Star refused. However, he changed his mind if the owner satisfied one condition. What was it? Read on and find out…
Larry Bird endorsed a restaurant solely because the owner let his teammates eat there for free
During the ’80s, the Celtics were dominating the league, with Larry Bird at the forefront of it all. As a result, all businesses in the Boston area would have wanted Larry legend to be their ambassador. The same was the case for a local restaurant in Boston.
Nevertheless, in typical Larry Bird fashion, he initially refused. However, one condition that the owner proposed changed Bird’s mind immediately. In fact, the 3x MVP’s former teammate Bill Walton explains the same in his book.
Via Back from the Dead –
“Larry kept turning the guy down, but the man, who is reportedly named Harry, ‘would not take no for an answer.’ Finally, one day, Larry said, ‘OK. I’ll do it. When they came to talk price, Larry said that he didn’t want anything for the deal. Harry was stunned. Larry said that the only thing that he wanted was for each of his teammates.
There were eleven of us.… to be able to come into the Scotch ‘n Sirloin anytime, bring their families, and eat for free. But that we would all leave a cash tip, and if the tip wasn’t big enough, to be sure and tell Larry, and he would take care of it.”
“We went there all the time. After almost every game, the whole team would go to this very nice restaurant just down the street and eat and drink all night long. Each player and their families would have their own table.
And at the end of the night, Larry would quietly check to make sure that the plates were clean and the tip was the right size.”
It just looks like Larry Bird is an excellent teammate, organizing food for his teammates. Maybe this team bonding exercise did actually help the Celtics’ chemistry as they went on to win a few championships in the next few years.
