Before he changed his mind and realized how great Bird was, Rex Chapman claims to have detested Larry Bird.
During an appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show,” the podcaster and basketball pundit recounted joining the NBA in 1988, just as Bird was beginning to experience back problems.
Chapman remarked, “I don’t know why, I just hated Larry Bird.” “I was a Dr. J (Julius Erving) guy.”
Chapman claimed that he discovered Bird’s uniqueness quickly. He remembered a game from 1989–1990, his second season, between the Charlotte Hornets and the Boston Celtics.
“During shootaround, Jerry (Sichting) informed us that Larry believes no one 6 feet 6 inches or smaller can protect him. It offends him, “Chapman remarked.
Games for birds: The moment Larry Bird upended the system by scoring a ton of points with his left hand.
Sichting, a former Indiana Pacers player and graduate of Purdue and Martinsville High School, had been a teammate of Bird’s in Boston and was playing for the Charlotte Hornets at the time.
We put Kelly Tripucka on him, and we go for the jump ball,” Chapman said. “There are only so many greats who can go out there and mess around with the game and still be great,” Chapman said. “Larry looked at the rest of us and said, ‘You guys are putting Tripucka on me?'” Bird then began calling out plays for himself, and he scored or assisted on Boston’s first four possessions.
Despite his back problems, Bird’s performance annoyed Chapman.
They weren’t athletic, so I enjoyed guarding him until he scored. They moved slowly, Chapman remarked. “You are able to hold them before you. And they managed to score!”
And what is Bird’s all-time ranking with Chapman?
“I ask myself, ‘What are we doing?’ whenever someone releases a top 5 without Larry in it. He was incredible.”
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