“I Am The Guy Who Is Going To Hit The Shot” - The NBA Released An Uncut Vintage Larry Bird Interview And It's Every Bit As Incredible As That Sounds
In honor of the NBA's All Star game taking place in Indianapolis, the NBA decided to put out a never before seen (as far as I can tell) interview with Indiana legend Larry Bird during his final season with the Celts in 1991. As someone who takes pride in their mental illness when it comes to this team and obsessing over players like Larry Bird, it's pretty hard to show me something I've never seen before. When you're a kid growing up in Worcester MA in the 90s, all you hear about is Larry Bird this/Larry Bird that. I've seen all the docs, read all the books, watched all the games etc.
So when I see an uncut interview with Larry Legend get released? Yeah, that's about as must-watch as it gets. Now I'll warn you, it's a full 48 minutes which on the surface is a little insane for an embedded video, but we're talking about uncut Larry Bird here. If that doesn't get you to click play, nothing will
First off, who the hell does the NBA think they are keeping this to themselves for over 3 decades? What the hell is that? Who came up with the big brain idea to keep Larry Bird being open and honest on the shelf, never to be seen by the public?
I dare anyone to watch that interview or even parts of that interview and not walk away loving Larry Bird. He's the greatest. There's no fluff, no PR answers, none of the stuff you hear in today's content with stars. Given that this came in his final season, they touched on everything you could possibly want to hear about. We got Magic, the Lakers, saving the NBA, breaking down games, taking the last shot, how he talked shit, his favorite teammate etc with Larry giving classic Larry Bird answers throughout the whole thing. I can't ever remember hearing an interview where he was so open and honest about so many different topics, and that's why I couldn't get enough of it.
If you have the time, I cannot recommend it enough if you're into some Grade A Celtics porn.
Now, was this blog also an excuse for me to put in what I consider the greatest video that exists on the internet? Perhaps.
I'm of the belief that Magic Johnson was onto something when during Bird's jersey retirement he said there would never, ever, ever be another Larry Bird. Well, here we are 30+ years later and that's still true.
But seriously, if the NBA is sitting on any other awesome vintage Larry Bird footage/interviews/etc, I'm going to need them to stop being weird and release it. I know there has to be more gold in those NBA Entertainment archives and that shit deserves to see the light of day.