That incident in which Larry Bird disregarded death threats he received while…
Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Larry Bird got numerous death threats; he never let them disturb him, not even when they occurred during the 1984 NBA Finals versus the Los Angeles Lakers.
In any ranking pertaining to the greatest NBA combatants and winners in history, Larry Bird’s name is likely near the top. Bird possessed a remarkable skill for verbally abusing rival players and occasionally even fans, and he could support his statements by following through on his commitments. He was the league’s most lethal and clutch player during the 1980s, and if you weren’t a fan of the Boston Celtics or Bird, you most likely dreaded or even detested him.
The NBA was very different in the past, and players themselves felt a greater sense of need to perform than they do now. Bird once acknowledged that he had been getting death threats on a daily basis since his rookie season, when Tiny Archibald, a former teammate, had come to his rescue to stop the calls he was getting from angry fans.
But things became worse with time, reaching a peak in the middle of the legendary rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals. K.C. Jones, the head coach of the Boston Celtics, notified Bird just after halftime that there were people in the building threatening to kill him. Jones said that even though it might not happen, it was his responsibility to alert Bird of the situation. Jones gave Bird complete faith and allowed him to make the decision of leaving the game or risking his life to win another NBA title. The Jackie MacMullan book “Bird Watching” describes how Bird alone had to decide whether to quit the game or stick around and assist his team win, and Jones was prepared to do so.
“The 1984 Los Angeles Finals was the best threat I faced. During our pregame warm-up versus the Lakers, I received a call from my coach, K. C. Jones. “Larry, I just found out there was a threat against your life,” he added. You can choose how to handle this.
Soon after, Bird resumed the game, but Jones wanted to make sure he was at ease on the floor because he knew he wouldn’t be able to win this series without his best player. Some players might become uncomfortable in a situation like this and it could affect their play, but Bird was focused and motivated to defeat the Lakers above all others on his team because of the rivalry’s significance for both his legacy and the Celtics’.
Fortunately for the Celtics, Bird displayed incredible performance throughout the entire finals series, unfazed by the death threats he received. During the course of seven games in that finals series, he averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. It is only fitting that he win the MVP award and his second NBA championship. Bird solidified his status as the NBA’s top player during the Finals series against the Lakers, winning over many fans to surpass his fierce rival Magic Johnson.
