Former NBA All-Star Jamal Mashburn appeared as a guest on The Player’s Tribune’s Knuckleheads podcast co-hosted by former Clippers teammates Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson earlier this week, discussing his experience competing against Celtics great Larry Bird. Mashburn, then a player at the University of Kentucky, was chosen as part of the United States “Select” roster that scrimmaged the Dream Team during their training camp for the 1992 Olympics. Bird set the tone early, immediately sizing up Mashburn and Chris Webber at the team hotel in La Jolla.
“He says, ‘Y’all those college guys?’” said Mashburn, recounting his first interaction with Bird. “He looked at us and said, ‘Get some f------ rest. It’s going to be a long week.’”
The college players scored a surprising victory over the Dream Team in their initial scrimmage (many have suggested coach Chuck Daly threw the game on purpose, hoping it would humble his team of NBA superstars), prompting an overconfident Rodney Rogers to start chirping Bird.
“Rodney Rogers said, ‘Hey Larry, you ain’t hit a jumper since ’84,’” said Mashburn. Apparently, Bird took those words to heart, making Rogers eat crow at the next scrimmage. “Magic Johnson fed Larry Bird the ball probably about eight times in a row down the court. Larry Bird got the ball on Rodney Rogers and every time he was about to make a move, he told him what he was going to do. One dribble, pull up, going left, off glass, bucket. One dribble, going right, spin, shot, bucket. He scored nine times or eight times in a row.”
Bird, who was nearing the end of his career at that point (he would retire that summer), eventually left the court to lay down, which was better for his ailing back than sitting on a bench. “[He] said, ‘Young fella, look like ’84, huh?’” said Mashburn. “They kicked our ass for the rest of the week.”
Not content to merely dominate physically, the Celtics legend wanted to annihilate his opponents mentally as well, gaining a reputation as one of the sport’s most prolific trash-talkers during his 80s heyday. Prior to the three-point contest at the 1986 All-Star Game in Dallas, Bird famously looked around the room before asking, “Who’s coming in second?” True to form, Bird won the event easily, not even bothering to take his warmup jacket off.
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