Unlike other great players, Larry Bird always looked at things as they were and without any complication, especially when it came to basketball. For Bird, the difference between a coach and a player was clear as day and he never had any concerns about that dynamic.
“One thing about me is I always say the coaches coach, and the players play,” Bird once said. “Whatever they tell you, you gotta do. You might not like it, but you’re gonna do it. That’s what they do. That’s their expertise.”
Bird only stayed at Indiana University for less than a month as he couldn’t afford it. Hoosiers head coach Bob Knight regretted it, knowing how talented Larry Legend was. For him, that would’ve also worked out even though Coach Knight had a reputation for being quite demanding.
“I don’t think me and Coach Knight would have had a problem, because I never had a problem with a coach,” Bird added.
What Bird doesn’t like that some coaches do
In the NBA, Bird indeed did not have any serious issues with his Boston Celtics coaches. To this day, The Hick from French Lick remains grateful to Bill Fitch, who mentored him as a rookie, and K.C. Jones, who was his coach during the Celtics’ championship runs.
Five years after officially hanging it, Bird himself embarked on a coaching job in the NBA. He was hired as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997. In one of his interviews, Larry Legend discussed what he disliked about NBA coaches and why he never followed the same approach as a coach.
“This stuff of coaches calling every play, it started back in the ’80s, I guess,” Bird said in ’97, per the Chicago Tribune.
“You get a rebound and start down and you hear the coach screaming. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but you won’t hear me doing that. If Reggie Miller comes off a pick and hits a three-point shot, we’ll probably go to that again. If not, we’ll run it to the other side. I don’t need to be over there screaming. If our point guard is not smart enough to realize that, we better find a new point guard,” he added.
Related: Fred Hoiberg on how Larry Bird instilled confidence in the Pacers: “As soon as it released from my hand, Larry Bird yelled, ‘Money'”
Bird was a great coach as well
Unsurprisingly, Bird also didn’t get into any conflict with his players during his tenure as a coach. If anything, his players admired and respected him and his coaching style. It’s also worth noting that Bird had a short yet legendary run as an NBA coach.
In his three-year stint as Pacers head coach, Larry led the Pacers to a then-franchise record of 58 wins and 24 losses. Moreover, Coach Bird also helped the Pacers to their first conference title and NBA Finals appearance in 2000.
What’s even more impressive is that Bird accomplished all that for the Pacers with zero coaching experience. More importantly, Larry Legend demonstrated that a coach could extract the best from his players and achieve collective success without resorting to yelling or arguing with them.
Related: “Too bad nobody saw them” – Larry Bird reveals the secret time he and Magic Johnson were teammates
