“I Am The Guy Who Is Going To Hit The Shot” - An Uncut Interview From Larry Bird's Final NBA Season 

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Very very very rare. I’ve seen about everything on Larry bird but never seen this interview in its entirety. Thank you for releasing, NBA!

I’d like to preface this by saying that I played basketball in NYC in an all black high school and got my nick name from the brothers playing at The Cage and at Rucker Park. We were all trying to emulate what Larry bird was doing on the playground and it was impossible for us. However, I remember hearing what Pat Riley said, “If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game, I’d choose Michael Jordan, but if I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I’d take Larry Bird."

Fantastic! “There will never ever ever be another Larry Bird” - Magic Johnson

I grew up in the small town of Rosedale, Indiana (population 750). Rosedale is located 13 miles north of Terre Haute, IN where Indiana State University is located. In 1978 I was 7 years old. One hot summer day, I asked my Grandpa for some change so I could go to the store and get me a soda pop from the pop machine located in front of the Hickman’s IGA grocery store. To my surprise my grandpa reached in his pocket and gave me a quarter. I grabbed the quarter, put it in my pocket and jumped on my bike and headed the two blocks to the store. I got to the store, parked my bike and put the kickstand down. I reached in my pocket and grabbed the quarter. Just as I was about to insert quarter into the machine I dropped it and it rolled behind the machine into a parking lot drain pipe. As I was behind the machine trying to fish the quarter out I heard a car with a loud muffler pull up to the machine. I was getting mad because I couldn’t reach the quarter and I knew grandpa wasn’t going to give me another one. I was about to cry and cussing under my breath. I heard a voice say “What’s going on boy”. As I looked up I saw this tall man with blond bushy hair with a baseball cap on. His head was peaking over the top corner of the machine. I had never seen such a giant. I stood up thinking I was going to get in trouble for cussing. I walked around the machine and I finally figured out who this giant was. It was Larry Bird. He asked me what I was doing back there so I told him. He reached in his pocket and asked me what kind of pop I wanted. I said Coke please sir. He bought two Cokes and handed me one. I said thanks and he just looked at me and said you’re welcome but you better not be cussing anymore. He got into his car and drove off. Nobody else saw this happen. When I got back to grandpa’s house I told him what happened. I don’t think he really believed me because as a young boy I could tell some stories. I sat on the porch with my grandpa and drank my Coke. I still have the can to this day.

Thank you for releasing this. I miss those times when NBA stars speak plainly about the game in proper sentences. Larry recognizes the talent of everyone in the league, past and present. Best part is him paying tribute to his teammates and talking about playing through injury/pain because he and the team wanted to win every time. “We lost because we played like a bunch of sissies….In the NBA, we’re there to win.”

Bird is seriously legendary.. I was a witness. Every story is true. One of the best 5 players I’ve ever seen. You can put Birds peak up against any player who ever played and it holds up. He was that great.

Larry makes it sound so simple, but breaks it down so well.

THE TRUE GOAT

of course Larry remembers portland beating them at boston garden in 1986. The only home game they lost that year. 40-1 at home for an NBA team is just mind blowing.

Larry is the genius of common sense.

I’m a huge Laker fan but how do you not love Larry Bird? Legend.

Bird was absolutely ruthless as any of his opponents would attest. But he also had unbelievable ball skills and the highest basketball IQ I've ever seen. Bird could read the floor and anticipate the action, which more than made up for his so-called lack of athletic ability.

Hes the best basketball player

Maybe the most down ro earth superstar in ANY sport. And I say this after hearing his comment about where he grew up.

The biggest figure in NBA history. Character, mind, determination, talent, vision, discipline, bravery, loyalty, integrity , unpretentiousness, honesty, humility, toughness and generosity. God bless him!

We were in 7th grade at a golf course and we had super big gulps in our hands and bird says “ u guys thirsty or what ?”

Great guy.

Would watch that Larry legend vhs as a teenager daily then go out and practice. 30 years later get to see the actual interview that contributed to that video. Much appreciated from Australia 🇦🇺 (and yes keep pumping out these old school interviews)

Such a wonderful time to be a Celtics fan for Larry's entire career. They dominated the city. We lived to be there in person and I was fortunate to know Don Quinn, manager of the box office. Thank you Don for the memories.

With what he did for Indiana State and the Celtics turning them into winning teams, he is an ideal player to build a team around. HIs infectious hard work and team play wins games. I rate Larry Legend as the greatest basketball player of all time.

Larry Legend - The most under-appreciated goat of basketball.

Amazing! His MVPs meant nothing to him. But! His team! Involving everyone! Championships! The City of Boston fans! He's Humble yet confident! Larry Bird! (Swoosh) And it counts!!

Players can learn from this interview.

Larry Legend!

I’m guessing he gave this interview during about the time he was recovering from the injuries in his heels. I know he didn’t like talking to the media much, so if he wasn’t able to play, I could see him making an exception under those circumstances.

Much Respect 🫡 #33

This is what a LEGEND sounds like

What a joy to have such a conversation with Larry - He is definitely the adult in any room he enters, and is always freshly focused... Thanks for a great introduction to a great player and a great man...

My favorite player of all time. Im fortunate enough to be his age and got to watch his entire career !!

Who was sitting on this and said, yknow the people don't want to watch this...... LARRY LEGEND!!!

Great player and coach and team executive -

I always love hearing a guy like Larry Bird talk bc he's a straight-shooter (pardon the pun) and relatively humble to the point that it's almost as if he's unaware of how good he is.

One thing Larry got wrong in this interview is when he said “ 10 years down the road there is going to be someone better, faster and bigger than me.” Regarding his imprint on the game….. 33 years after this interview….Im not thinking it ever happened…. Nobody is like Larry…. IMO it’s either him or Michael as the 🐐…. When God made Larry Bird … he threw away the mold. 🤔

I grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. I wasn't into NBA basketball until I saw his mix tape in December of 2023. I remembered him as a little kid but got lost in life to follow him until now. I'm totally mesmerized and addicted to him. I'm grateful for this interview.

This is the greatest interview I’ve seen with a superstar. No BS with Larry. He tells it like it is. He even deflects praise and credits others, complete opposite of Jordan and Magic in interviews.

LB is a great passer because he is unselfish but still put up the numbers

Larry is so lowkey funny 😂 his matter of fact style it’s such a dry humor

Straight killer. Just like mj and Kobe.

This video is like a work of art, meticulously crafted and awe-inspiring.

Wow. Amazing upload. Thanks for this. And I thought I had seen EVERY Bird clip! Wrong!

TRUE GOAT

Gotta hand it to Larry for being so patient with this guy. He had to be frustrated trying to follow this guy but came across as a true gentleman. Larry legend.

Larry Legend

Seen snippets from this interview in the past. Almost left this in the first three minutes to search for the complete interview only to finally notice that it was almost an hour long interview! Listened to the whole thing!! Thanks for the upload!

Great to see his appreciation for Walton. Almost unfair to have him as 6th man. Imagine a young Walton as the starting center!

mY favoriTE -Larry Legend .

For those who know, I remember watching these clips on NBA videos! 🏀🇬🇧

Yes more interviews please especially Larry bird. This was great! It's always awesome to to see what other people really think. Thanks

I like how he has a photographic memory of the games that he had played in and remembered the strategy that they used to win the game.

a large-scale intellectual and one of the best ever to have stepped on the court, no cap

Wow, soft spoken guy but very inspirational. Team player that respected his team and teammates.

DJ is the most underrated player in NBA history....

Best basketball interview ever ! Larry gives other players their due and respect, he is among the all time greats no matter what metric you use but is modest enough to defer any talk of a "GOAT" as not worth even discussing. Every era produces candidates.

Great interview

Thank you for this

Wow! I watched Bird’s games on TV despite living in Boston. Couldn’t afford a ticket. And I still remember how exciting it was, every second of every game. Always waiting for something special and never disappointed! Thank you, Larry, and the 80’s Celtics!

Amazing! Exactly what a middle aged basketball fan from Europe (who never got access to NBA material during the 80s and early 90s) dreams of.... grown up, archive footage that nourishes the soul as well as the brain.

Love the question regarding "reputation that you are a guy who talks a lot on the court"...you could see the gleam in his eye when he denies being a talker lol 25:08

Larry is quite the character, about five minutes into the interview the anchor asked Bird if he did a lot of talking out there, trying to get into the players head and his answer was no, I never do that, thats the opposing players saying that then about at the 40 minute mark Bird says how he gets a thrill when he tells whos covering him that he's getting the ball and going to hit the game winner, wait a minute Larry, you said at the beginning of this interview you never talked trash, LOL! GOTTA LOVE LARRY LEGEND!

As a child and Sixers fan in the 80s, I hated the Celtics and Larry Bird. Decades later, after learning what the game of basketball was really about and how the game is played, Larry Bird is my favorite player of all time, and its not even close.

Even though he left the NBA long ago,it is still great to see him playing or in any interview. His legacy lives on!

This is good stuff guys!

Thanks for posting this!

It was so much fun to watch basketball in that era. I don't even know if basketball is on tv anymore.

The skit from Nick kroll about larry bird is the best lol

I wanted to just take one afternoon and talk with Larry. Not just about basketball but about life in general.

Great interviewer, great questions. Of course, Larry was great.

Jack Nicklaus says he remembers every shot he took in the Major tournaments. Bird might remember every shot he made or missed in all the Championship series.

NBA, please - nobody thought twice that this was uploaded at the wrong aspect ratio?

As great of a bball mind as we will ever see.

Teams drafted TWO point guards BEFORE Steph Curry was drafted at 7. Sometimes players surprise us. Larry is a GREAT player. They both are driven to be the best. Love them both. And don't forget, Steph is the ONLY unanimous MVP and he has four rings...

🐐

❤

When Larry does an interview, you're gonna get it straight. No sugar.

Me too! But I am biased. Him and Magic brought the game back to life.

My favorite quote is his last statement: "But these people who work in factories, I think, deserve a lot more credit than me, it's just, uh, uh, unfortunate for them they just don't get paid the salaries we do."

Can’t believe nba has had this in the vault for 35 years. Don’t hold this content from us! 😆

Yup, Larry, that's exactly what they mean when they call you a throwback. Exactly. Legend.

At 42:00 I thinks he's talking specifically about hordan

You going to be there, you might as well win the game. Good lord, that’s the ultimate rarity now

My favorite thing about bird is how he always says he knew in his first exhibition games that he was going to cook the entire league 😂

Whoever did this interview did a first rate job.

I bet Magic, MJ and alll NBA greats are watching this right now...

Yea Indiana State and Larry Bird.

LARRY LEGEND 🐐

Points make money, passes don’t. Wow! How true that is! The game was so much better when there was more passing!

Interesting to hear Larry Bird’s comments about “practice” in light of Alan Iverson’s famous comments about “practice.” I suspect they were both on the same page. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you might need a day off. Too bad Iverson got off on a tangent about it. Larry knew how to keep it low key.

Bird, Magic, Duncan and Jordan are the Mount Rushmore of NBA mindsets and leadership.

The all time Celtics are the greatest. All around team.

👍💗💗💗

I’d pick Larry Legend over LeBron any day

"Looking ahead, do you think the Bulls will win any championships in the 90s?"

Larry Bird! Probably LBJ will be the GOAT in SF coz of consistency and longevity but Prime to Prime both at 28-30 y.o. I'd pick Larry anyday.

Seriously! 23:50 Why do you practice shooting the ball?

The interviewer was really trying to get Larry to say he was popular because he is white, nevertheless, Larry was literally color blind!

Who is the interviewer and where was it?

Does anyone know who the interviewer was? Was it Bill Simmons, perhaps, or was Bill too young at this time?

Man, Larry Legend looked old even when he was a college player.

There’s only ONE Larry Bird…