Not long back, during a media conference call which I was lucky enough to be part of with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Larry said that he didn’t appreciate the current era of man-love between NBA players. In other words, he didn’t like all of the hugging and comradery between players of opposing teams. He thought that it dulls the competitive edge. (Side note: that conference call was for the release of Larry & Magic’s new book When The Game Was Ours, which is a great read — check it out if you can).
I have to agree with Larry. Sometimes you need to treat your opponent like an enemy, more than a playmate. But that is an argument for another time — one that goes deeper than I have time for in a Boxing Day playful post!
Then again, Larry wasn’t ALL business and no play, as this video shows. Larry Legend still found time on the court to have a laugh. This video also starts off with a nice blooper from former Celtics dunk champ, Dee Brown.
1991 video: Dee Brown blooper and Larry Bird lending some sugar
