Lance Stephenson was overwhelmed by a call he received from Larry Bird early in the month. Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Lance Stephenson almost cried when Larry Bird called him to return to Pacers

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 3/31/17

Not even Born Ready was ready for the call he received earlier this month.

Lance Stephenson said Friday he almost cried when Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird called him to return to the team, per local reporter Mark Montieth.

Definitely a more mature @StephensonLance now. "When Larry called me I almost cried."

— Mark Montieth (@MarkMontieth) March 31, 2017

The 26-year-old Stephenson was drafted by the Pacers in 2010 and enjoyed the best seasons of his NBA career there. But he left the team in 2014, kicking off a stretch where he played for five teams in just three seasons and saw his production take an absolute nosedive (with some rumors even saying that he might have to go overseas to find employment).

But the prodigal son finally came home this week as Stephenson signed a three-year deal worth $12 million to return to Indiana. Bird always seemed to regret letting Stephenson go in the first place, so hopefully this is the storybook ending that both sides had been dreaming of.