Larry Bird Would Not Have Shaken D-Howard’s Hand Either

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Off The Court Issues, SDC COMMENTARY

BASKETBALL/NCAA

This reporter had the pleasure of being one of dozens of media members who took part in a conference call interview with two of the greatest basketball players of all time Monday; Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The two held the press conference in connection to their book which will be released on Wednesday “WHEN THE GAME WAS OURS.” I received an advance copy lat Friday and currently about a third of the way through the book and so far it is a great read.

An interesting subject was brought up during the press conference which was how the two members of the “Basketball Hall Of Fame“ felt about all the love that is shown these days on the NBA courts. The LeBron James firestorm came up; the sheer and utter hatred that was directed at the reigning NBA MVP because he would not shake hands with the Orlando Magic players after getting defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If you are a regular reader of these pages you are well aware that I took a lot of heat early this summer for defending LBJ. I wrote a column entitled Sorry I Don’t Want My Pro Player To Be A Gracious Loser! and received a month filled with hate mail. I was told that “The Chosen One” was a bad role model for our children. I had one man compare it to when John Starks headbutted Reggie Miller in a game years ago.

Well it turns out that Larry Bird who won three NBA Championships and is part of the “Holy Trinity” of the NBA along with Magic and Micheal Jordan does not think that James did anything wrong. Bird said during the Monday press conference that he never shook anybody’s hand after he lost that he did not want to even touch them.

So does that make Larry Bird a bad sport also? Will Larry now receive the kind of hatred that was directed at LBJ this summer? I truly doubt it; but what is the difference? The eighties the decade that Larry and Magic dominated is the decade that saved the NBA. If it was not for the rivalry between Johnson and Bird back then there may not even be an NBA today in 2009. The Association was reduced to having their games shown on a tape delayed basis at 11:30 pm on CBS. So if you lived on the West Coast back then you did not see the start of the game until 7 hours after it actually started. If not for that Celtics Lakers Rivalry back in the day there may be no Kobe Bryant or LeBron James or D-Howard.

So what exactly has changed in the last 2o odd years? Why was it expected that players would walk off the court without contact then and the “man-hug” era that we live in today?

This hugging trend started in the eighties; it bothered me then and it still does today. You are asking an athlete that was trying to knock the stuffing out of his rival minutes before to be sweet and docile after they lose?

That to me just reinforces that it is okay to lose. It is not; that should be your prime objective during the season! Personal numbers should be secondary, your main goal is for your team to end the campaign at the top of the mountain. If you do not reach it I want my player seeing red!

So enough with this talk about how to lose gracefully! Play Clean and Play to Win and never think that losing is just fine and dandy! If I was LeBron James after losing to the Magic. I would have been just as angry and just as bitter. And I would not hug a soul! And apparently either would Larry Bird!

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Comments

4 Responses to “Larry Bird Would Not Have Shaken D-Howard’s Hand Either”

BIGBILL on November 3rd, 2009 3:21 pm

I understand yet I disagree:

When the child (LJ) did it was wrong, When Daddy (Zeek) did it was wrong, when Grand Pa (LB) it was also wrong. If you can’t distinguish between a Bad sportsman vs a good Sportsman, you need to write something other then sports (only a game).
Jeff Sack on November 3rd, 2009 4:30 pm

Bill,
I really do not understand your point. It was never considered bad sportsmanship back in the old days not to shake someone’s hand after they got their brains beat out. It is against Human nature to want to hug somebody 60 seconds after you wanted to tear their head off. As far as your career advice sir, I have made a very nice living covering Pro Sports since 1995, including covering World Series and NBA Finals. So I think this career is working out fine!
Jacob on December 4th, 2009 10:49 pm

I think you make an excellent point. i know when i played football in high school i wouldnt go shake the hands of the other team whether or not we won or loss. but especially when you lose, why would you want to. i say sportsmanship be damned. im tired of players trying to be too sportsmanlike. if the parents dont think they’re good role models, thats not LJ’s problem.
Jeff Sack on December 4th, 2009 10:58 pm

Jacob;

If there has been one man in the last 15 years who appeared to be able to do nothing wrong and had a Teflon coating it was Tiger Woods. And look at what has happened to HIM in the past week. Athletes are not Role Models; if you are a parent who tells your child that they are in my mind you are a bad parent. The Only thing an athlete is qualified to teach your child is the sport that they play!