In an episode of “Oddball” with Amin Elhassan and Charlotte Wilder, Phoenix Suns play-by-play announcer and former 6th Man of the Year, Eddie Johnson, shared his experiences of trash-talking with Larry Bird.
Johnson and Bird’s careers overlapped for 11 seasons, from 1981 to 1992.
Johnson highlighted a particular incident while he was playing for the Kansas City Kings. He confessed that during a moment when he was driving to the basket with Bird defending him, his primary aim was to “inflict some pain” rather than just score.
After the play resulted in a basket and Johnson found himself at the free-throw line, he recalled Bird remarking, “All you can do is score.”
Noticing Bird was bleeding, Eddie retorted, “I can make you bleed too.”
Following the game’s conclusion, Bird approached the Kings’ locker room, seemingly gearing up for a confrontation.
However, instead of initiating a fight there and then, Bird handed Johnson his hotel key, extending an informal invitation for a later showdown.
Johnson eventually declined the invitation, fearing Bird’s teammates might ambush him at the hotel. To this, Bird responded, “I like you.”
For the full breakdown of how trash-talking unfolded in the ’80s, as recounted by Eddie Johnson, visit:
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