larry-dale

One of the best Larry Bird trash talk stories comes from the 1988 three-point contest. Minutes before the shootout, the Boston Celtics legend entered the locker room filled with all the best three-point specialists chilling.

“Larry Legend” then asked them, “Who’s coming in second?” Bird claimed it was meant to be a joke, but when no one responded, the C’s legend suddenly felt he had to back up his words.

Vengeance and regret

Larry was correct in his reading of the room and realizing his joke was taken seriously by the other contestants. Seattle Supersonics sharpshooter Dale Ellis was one of those offended by Bird’s infuriating question, as he was hellbent on making Larry eat his words.

“All the guys in the locker room, I thought, had a chance to win that contest,” Ellis told IndyStar. “But Larry walks in and says, ‘Which one of you guys is playing for second?’ I didn’t quite like it. I didn’t like what he said, so I wanted to really embarrass him.”

Dale made it to the finals to go toe-to-toe with “The Hick from French Lick,” who had dominated the last two 3-point contests. Ellis won the coin toss and initially, he wanted to go last.

“And then I changed my mind at the last second and said, ‘No, I’m going to go first’ because I wanted to embarrass him,” Dale said. “See if he can catch me.”

“Wrong thing to do. Wrong thing to do. Because he’s always been a clutch player,” he added.

Dale tallied 15 points, which was decent in those days. However, Bird eclipsed Ellis with 16 points. Larry punctuated his victory by raising his finger as the final money ball was in the air. A classic NBA moment was made, unfortunately, at the Sonics’ swingman’s expense.

Ellis’ moment of glory

After his heartbreaking defeat to Bird, the 1987 Most Improved Player mustered all the courage and signed up for the contest the following year. Larry was also in, looking to win his fourth straight.

However, the three three-time league MVP ran out of juice and failed to make the finals. Instead, Ellis faced another formidable foe in Craig Hodges. This time around, the Bulls’ guard went first and scored 15 points.

After the third rack, Dale already had 14 points. Before he moved on to the fifth and final rack, Ellis had already sealed his victory. “The Silent Assassin” jumped for joy, knowing that he would be forever forged in NBA history as one of the greatest shooters ever.