The 1980s saw the dominance of two players and two teams. The first was the Lakers with Magic Johnson, and the second was none other than the Boston Celtics with Larry Bird.
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The Hick from French Lick, to give him one of his many nicknames was an absolute beast on the court. He averaged around 24 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists per game, winning three championships and three league MVPs.
He was good, and the best part was that he knew how good he was. To the point where he refused to have players below 6’6″ guard him. Why? Because they just wouldn’t be able to stop him.
Larry Bird took offense to anyone below 6’6″ guarding him in a match
Larry Bird is one of the coolest players in league history. The man was as amazing as it gets, and could dominate anyone on the court, especially if the opposing team gave him a smaller matchup. Just ask Rex Chapman.
Chapman in an interview with Rich Eisen recalled going up against Bird. Particularly how, Larry’s former teammate Jerry Sichting had informed them that he took offense to be guarded by anyone below 6’6″. Well, the Hornets, Chapman’s team at the time decided to put 6’5″ Kelly Tripucka on him, and it ended badly.
You never mess around when going up against Larry Legend. A good lesson to learn, and one some had to learn the hard way.
Larry Legend once taught rookie Shawn Kemp a lesson for breaking all his state records in Indiana
Shawn Kemp was an athletic freak of nature who was also a heck of a player. Growing up in Indiana, Kemp was a superstar and broke all the records of another state legend, Larry Bird. When the Reign Man went pro, Larry made it clear that he didn’t like the fact that his records were broken.
How did he deal with it? He dropped 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while calling every shot on a rookie Kemp.
Larry Bird was a bad man. He made athletic freaks fear him. pic.twitter.com/QnYTzJQOCl
— LeWoy Smith Jr. (@lewoysmithjr) May 10, 2022
What did Kemp learn? A lesson that every player learned. Never piss off The Great White Hope.