Gary Payton explains how Larry Bird was the “coldest dude” he had ever seen because of the Boston Celtics legend’s trash-talking.
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Long before the league was dominated by LeBron James in the 2010s or Kobe Bryant in the 2000s or Michael Jordan in the 1990s, it was Larry Bird who was one of the deadliest players in the league, back in the 1980s.
Long-time Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird is one of the most gifted offensive players the league has ever witnessed. However, apart from being an elite scorer, Larry Legend was also known for his superb trash-talking skills. Bird was so gifted that he would often tell his defenders exactly how he planned on scoring… And would end up pulling that exact same move.
On various instances, the 6-foot-9 forward would take his trash-talking skills to a greater level altogether. Like the time he recorded an insane 47-point triple-double using his left hand throughout the game. Or the time when he was so confident he was winning the three-point contest that he entered the locker room and asked “So, who’s coming in second?” And obviously backed it up.
Also Read: The two legends are some of the few players to win both MVP and DPOY in the same season
Bird has had verbal altercations with almost all the players he’s played against. Former Seattle SuperSonics legend Gary Payton was just one of many superstars Larry talked his talk to.
“Larry Bird would give it to you any way he wanted to”: Gary Payton
On his recent appearance on the “Showing Up and Throwing Down” podcast, the former DPOY detailed the horrific experience of guarding Bird. Narrating one of his trash-talking moments with the Boston icon, Payton said:
“Bird used to tell me ‘Look here man. I’m gonna go shoot this muthaf*cking jumper in your face right there in that corner. And it’s gonna be your Christmas present. I’m gonna wrap it up and bust your head open.’ All that sh*t. He was the coldest dude I’ve ever seen with that sh*t man. Everybody be talking about these great greats and we always mention him, he was the sh*t. He give it to you any way he wanted to. Larry Bird was cold. Cold dude man, real cold.”
Also Read: Jayson Tatum and the former Celtic get into it on Twitter after star shoots 6-14 in win vs Knicks
The two Hall-Of-Famers played against each other 4 times during their career. Bird (who was at the fading years of his career) outscored (20.5-3.0) Payton (who was in the first two seasons of his career), with a flawless 4-0 record.
