Larry Bird was once thanked by Isiah Thomas for saving his career after…
Isiah Thomas and Larry Bird were competitors on the basketball court. Although Bird is ranked higher than Isiah and was a better star in his own right, IT and his “Bad Boy” Pistons teams ended Bird’s Celtics teams’ domination in the Eastern Conference in the late 1980s. Additionally, there wasn’t much love lost between the two famous people at the time.
In his prime, Larry Bird was the unchallenged monarch of the Eastern Conference. The ECF MVP trophy is now titled in his honor. The man also won three MVP awards in a row. However, some doubted his skills, just as some do with today’s superstars, Isiah Thomas among them. There was a good deal of outrage after Thomas said that Bird shouldn’t have won his MVP awards solely because he was white.
However, the matter was settled during a press conference in which Larry Legend personally supported Isiah. The Boston Globe covered the incident, and IT went on to express gratitude to Larry for “saving his career”:
Isiah Thomas: “I made a mistake by making a joke that could be taken too literally. This has disappointed and upset me. Isiah Thomas is perceived by all Americans as a racist and a villain. And I’m not, as everyone who knows me can attest.”
“I don’t think Isiah is stupid,” said Larry Bird. He is aware of my bad play. Being a professional basketball player makes me proud. I think I did quite good for a person who can’t jump and is too slow.”
Isiah Thomas: “I get crucified and die if he doesn’t say anything.” I would have been lynched by the same people who elected me this year’s Walter Kennedy Trophy winner (for philanthropic contributions). Larry Bird may have salvaged my career today, in my opinion.”
Race has always been a divisive topic; Luka Doncic and Montrezl Harrell’s incident during the 2020 playoffs is one such instance. But at the time, Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas demonstrated how these issues could be resolved amicably between players, and it’s a memorable occasion to remember because both players retired as two of the finest to have ever done so.
