Dominique Wilkins has seen his fair share of NBA legends in his lifetime. His duels with Michael Jordan are well chronicled, and he’s had many battles with the likes of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas. So it shouldn’t be surprising to hear he has quite a few stories from his playing days. He recently shared one of his stories about Bird, with the Boston Herald, and it’s fantastic to say the least.
"“One of the first times I ever played against him, I went out for the opening tip and I went to shake his hand. He just stood there and looked at me stone-faced with his hands behind his back,” Wilkins said recently.“I was like, ‘Whoa.’ Then we were getting ready for the tip and he says to me, ‘You don’t belong in this league, Homes.’ I couldn’t believe it, but it happened so fast, I didn’t know what to think.“Then they had the ball and I was on him and he said, ‘I don’t know why they got you guarding me, Homes. You can’t guard me.’ Then, whap, he hit a 3. Then he came down again and said, ‘They made a mistake putting you on me, Homes,’ and he took another 3.”Getting into the story, Wilkins began to act things out with his facial expressions.“So now I’m hot,” he said. “I’m hot. I mean, I’m steaming.“Then a little while later, I came down on a break and he was backpedaling. I just went right after him. I jumped up and he tried to challenge, but I took that right through the rim. He fell and hit the basket support.“He got up and said, ‘I like you, rookie. You’ve got(guts).’ I was happy for a second, and then he said, ‘But I’m still going for 40 on you tonight.’ ”He then paused the story, stepped back and smiled.“But I got him,” Wilkins said. “He only scored 39.”"
Wilkins clearly holds this moment with Bird in high regard, and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t. Bird is arguably the greatest trash talker ever, and he spent most of his time on the court demeaning his opponent instead of complimenting their guts. Be proud Nique, because you were a part of one of those moments that makes Larry a legend.