“This is what everyone means when they talk about Bird being a bad mofo” – Rick Fox recalled Larry Bird’s last iconic performance in NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Three-time NBA champion Rick Fox had the honor of playing with some of the NBA’s greatest players. He started his career alongside Boston Celtics icons Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, later joining forces with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, it was time in Boston that truly got him walking on the right path, all thanks to the Celtics’ legend, Larry Bird.
Fox immediately tasted Bird’s wrath
Fox was elated to learn the Celtics drafted him with the 24th pick in 1991. A savvy small forward who played for the legendary Dean Smith at North Carolina believed he would fit right in with the Celtics, especially after he followed the team’s success in the 1980s. However, he soon learned that no matter how impressive a player’s pedigree may be, they still have a lot to learn when they arrive in the pros.
“Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish — that last year of the Big Three — I was their rookie. Watching them work as professionals gave me a blueprint for how it’s supposed to get done,” Fox said in an interview on Hot 97.
Larry also didn’t wait too long to teach the rookie a lesson, as he shook him straight during a preseason game.
“I remember being in the layup line, smiling from ear to ear, happy just to be in the NBA,” the retired NBA forward recalled. “But Larry Bird looked at me and said, ‘What are you smiling for?’ I was stunned — what did I do wrong? I was just happy to be there.”
“He told me I needed to focus. From that day forward, I don’t think I missed a layup in a warm-up line before a game, and I didn’t smile much in the NBA, because it was always about being professional and going about your job,” he added. “I could have gone in many different directions in my career, but playing with those guys from the start gave me a strong foundation.”
Reminded everyone of his greatness
Bird’s last two seasons in the NBA were beset by back injuries, which limited him to playing in only 105 games. Fox, though, observed that even though the Hick from French Lick became limited by his back troubles, it didn’t stop him from trying to get back to full strength to lead the Celtics on another championship run.
Unfortunately, such efforts came few and far between as age and the mileage of playing in the NBA for so long caught up with him. However, Bird gave a stern reminder of what he could still do on March 15, 1992, in a game against Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers. It was a game that remains etched in Fox’s mind to this very day.
“For me, it was like, I’ve heard about Larry Bird, watched him, and knew he was really good, but I wasn’t seeing that Larry Bird,” he said.
In that game, Larry Legend came alive and finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals as the Celtics escaped with a 152-148 double-overtime win.
“That was amazing. It was incredible. I’ll never forget being in that game, both playing and watching and realizing, ‘Okay, now this is what everyone means when they talk about Larry Bird being a bad mofo,'” Fox said. “He used to do that on the regular; by then, he could only get it up once in a while, but it was still special to witness in that last year with the Celtics.”
Bird’s final hurrah in the NBA didn’t go according to plan — he sat out the Celtics’ three-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers and played in only four games in their seven-game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging only 11.3 points. A few months after Boston’s playoff exit, he announced his NBA retirement.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.