Larry Bird Explains Infamous Trash-Talking Line From 1988

Larry Bird still has ownership of arguably the most famous trash-talking line in the history of trash talking.

In a recent appearance on the ‘Kick Club’ podcast with former NBA greats Reggie Miller and Isiah Thomas, Bird recalled the moment during the 1988 NBA All-Star Weekend at Chicago Stadium when he walked into the locker room and asked a group of talented veterans, “Which one of you guys is playing for second?”

Bird admitted posing the question to his competitors in the Three-Point Shooting Contest, but he said he was only “teasing” and was trying to ease the tension in  the room.

“I walked in the locker room and the guys were sitting there and they’re nervous,” Bird told Miller and Thomas. “You have to understand, a lot of these guys came off the bench on their teams. Now, all of a sudden, they’re gonna go out there in front of 20,000 people, with 40 sets of eyes on them, shooting the basketball. It had to be intimidating for them. For me, I liked that. I knew the pressure was more on them than me.”

Bird had no problem asking his trash-talking question. He had won the previous two Three-Point Shooting Contests and was a heavy favorite to win his third.

Seattle SuperSonics guard Dale Ellis ended up being the guy who finished second to Bird. Ellis lost to Bird in the final round. Bird’s question was ringing in Ellis’ ears throughout the competition.

“I didn’t like what he said,” Ellis said of Bird’s question during an interview with the Indianapolis Star in 2024. “I wanted to really embarrass him.”

Bird backed up his trash-talking locker-room entrance and never took off his Boston Celtics warmup jacket. Bird later admitted to Miller and Thomas that he knew the consequences he would face if he lost.

“I look around the locker room and everybody’s looking at me…that’s when I said ‘Who’s coming in second’?,” Bird said. “Nobody said a word. They thought I was serious. That’s when I knew I had to go out and win it.”

The remaining competitors in the 1988 Three-Point Shooting Contest included New York Knicks guard Trent Tucker, Milwaukee Bucks guard Craig Hodges, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mark Price, Celtics guard Danny Ainge, Dallas Mavericks forward Detlef Schrempf and Los Angeles Lakers guard Byron Scott.

When the contestants posed for a group photo before the competition, Bird and Scott, intense rivals in the NBA playoffs, sat next to each other.

Bird and Hodges are the only NBA players to win three Three-Point Shooting Contests during All-Star Weekend. Hodges won the title in 1990, 1991 and 1992.

Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, the NBA’s all-time three-point shooting leader, is a two-time winner during All-Star Weekend (2015 and 2021).

Ray Richardson is a contributor to Back In Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at RayRich55@gmail.com

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