Larry Bird was prepared to miss the full season of 1984–85…
In 1984, it took some time for Bird and Auerbach to reach a consensus on the specifics of his new contract.
Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics won their second NBA title in the 1983–84 season. Following the victory, when former Celtics general manager Red Auerbach sat together with Larry to discuss contract renewals, the man from Indiana was unexpectedly willing to miss the following season over a $25,000 disagreement.
In his book “Bird Watching: On Playing and Coaching the Game I Love,” the two-time MVP of the Finals provided insights on his 1984 contract negotiations.
Bird entered the Celtics headquarters, where Auerbach and Jan Volk were waiting, accompanied by his agent, Bob Woolf. The 12-time All-Star requested a salary of $1.8 million annually, which would have made him and Moses Malone the best paid players in the league.
But Volk and Auerbach countered that they could not afford that kind of money, so in the end, Larry and Red were the only ones who discussed the specifics of the contract renewal.
“We got it down to a difference of $25,000 on some bonus clause,” Bird claimed. “I don’t remember what it was, but I would have sat out the whole year before I’d let Red hold me up over $25,000.”
In the end, Larry received his $1.8 million plus the $25,000 incentive. Because he was certain Moses would receive a larger contract for the upcoming season, his agent even advised him to request $2.5 million. But the renowned forward was unconcerned with that.
Whether it was in the heated talks over Bird’s rookie deal (Larry received a salary of $650,000 plus an estimated $325,000 signing bonus) or the 1984 extension talks, Auerbach never gave up, and the outcomes worked well for Boston.
Being the highest-paid rookie at the time, the 6’9″ forward not only went on to lead the team to a championship in 1981 but also repeated this accomplishment in 1986 after agreeing to a contract extension with the team.
