Rare interview with Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird from 1986
Hall of Fame Boston Celtics small forward Larry Bird typically kept to himself as a player. And while he didn’t begrudge the press interviews on camera, there are not many of them floating around on video for us to see these days.
From the 1985-86 season, the last title campaign of The Hick From French Lick’s career, the folks over at the CLNS Media “History and Legends” YouTube channel have dusted off an especially interesting one. It has Bird reflecting on his entry into the NBA and his early years with the Celtics organization, among a number of topics.
Larry Legend managed to fill up almost six minutes of interview time in the clip embedded below; to get your fix of Boston basketball for the day, be sure to take a look at what Bird had to say for yourself.
If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.
The Celtics takes Bird early, give him a record contract
Usually, a college player ends their college career before getting drafted. The rules were a little different back in the 1970s, though. Red Auerbach and the Boston Celtics took Bird sixth overall in the 1978 Draft merely to have his rights. Bird wanted to go back to college for another year, and he did. He also wanted a big contract, which the Celtics were worried about. Not wanting to lose the rights to exclusively sign Bird to a contract, Boston demurred, and signed Bird to a five-year, $3.25 million contract, then a rookie record. Soon thereafter the NBA changed their draft rules.
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