Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson remember shocking Larry Bird incident

It got to the point where nothing Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird said surprised anyone — at least on the court.

Bird, who won three consecutive MVPs in the 1980s for the Celtics, became a successful coach with the Indiana Pacers. It was during his coaching days that he shocked captains Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson before one of their games. Miller and Jackson could barely hold back their laughter on “The Mark Jackson Show” as they recounted their story involving an absent Coach Bird and a pack of Newport cigarettes.

Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson caught Larry Bird smoking before one of their games

Miller was a guest on a June 2024 episode of the “Mark Jackson Show,” and the two couldn’t help but tell their story about their legendary coach.

“Playing for Larry Bird was amazing,” Jackson said. “One of the greatest players of all time, one of our heroes that we watched and played against. For some reason we were in the layup line. Reggie and I, as captains of the team, I don’t remember what we had to talk to Larry Bird about before the game. Twenty seconds into the game, Reg and I run off the field and go to the back. That’s where it happens from there. »

“So, Jack and I go back to the locker room,” Miller said, “and we’re like, where’s Coach Bird? They’re like, ‘He’s in his office.’ We go to his office, and he’s not in his office.

“We’re heading to the shower because we had to ask him that question before we went out. We turn the corner and Larry Legend is sitting in a chair. He’s got a pack of Newports, smoking. ‘What do you guys need?’ We’re like, ‘We’re good coaches.’ Don’t worry. Was good. He says, ‘All right, I’ll see you there in a few minutes.’

Jackson said he was so upset it ruined his game.

Seeing Larry Bird smoking a cigarette in the back room before the game shook Jackson and Miller. Jackson said both were troubled, and it showed. Miller and Jackson were asked if they had ever talked to Bird about it.

“No, no, no,” Jackson said. “And it’s proven, it’s the worst first half a starting back has ever had. »

“Oh my God,” Miller said. “I didn’t manage to score. »

“We were mentally disconnected,” Jackson said. “Our hero. What we just witnessed affected us.”

“Careful, remember how we look at Larry Bird,” Miller said. “First, we played against him. I modeled my game after Larry Legend. In the 80s, it was Lakers/Boston, and you had to choose sides. We were Laker fans, but I modeled my game after Larry Bird. I wanted to know how he trained, how he approached games, his trash talk, all that.

“That’s how we looked at Larry. So we could walk around the corner and see him slumped in a chair, smoking. It wasn’t like he was shocked, like, ‘Oh my God, here come our captains.’ It wasn’t any of that.