Ex-Pacers president said Larry Bird shouldn't have joined the Celtics: "He talks about guys staying in their state, right?"

LeBron James unsurprisingly generated a lot of buzz ahead of his free agency year in 2010. The 2009-10 season had just started, but everybody, including Indiana Pacers executive Larry Bird, had already been talking about James’ future with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As expected, an array of teams were linked to LeBron’s name at the time. Among the most mentioned ones were the New York Knicks. For Bird, the NBA landscape would change regardless of where James would go, but he’d prefer seeing “The King” re-up with his home team.

“I like to see the great players stay in the cities and with the teams that drafted them,” said Bird, who played his entire Hall of Fame career with the Boston Celtics. “So I would rather see him stay.”

Bird’s comments did not go unnoticed.

Newly-appointed Knicks executive Donnie Walsh, who worked in the Pacers front office from 1986 to 2003, subtly questioned Larry Legend’s stance on James’ situation. According to Walsh, “The Hick from French Lick” should’ve thought that way when he entered the NBA back in 1979.

“I have no problem with what Larry said,” the then-Knicks president said. “I love Larry. I’m not surprised he’d say that, either.”

“He talks about guys staying in their state, right?” Walsh added of Bird. “Well, I wish he had stayed in Indiana. You know, it might have made my life a little easier with the Pacers if he came out of Indiana State and went right to us.”

Bird saw himself playing for the Knicks

Taking a quick trip down memory lane, Bird was not yet eligible to play for the Celtics, but Boston had already drafted him in 1978. He chose to play his senior year with Indiana State and went on to make his debut in the 1979-80 season as a Celtic.

That being said, Walsh had a point. As one of the most promising college players in the country, Larry Legend could’ve expressed his interest in playing for his hometown instead of committing to the Celtics.

As it turned out, the Pacers weren’t even Bird’s second choice back then. Instead, Bird was more interested in the idea of joining the Knicks.

“If the Celtics want me, they’ll call,” Larry once said. “If they don’t want me, they won’t call. Get lots of sleep, Mr. Woolf, and take care of yourself. I’m going fishin’.’”

“Because of the media and television,” the Indiana native said at the time, as per The New York Times. “There’s more people. I think I belong in New York.”

Bird eventually joined Indiana…as a coach

Bird never switched teams and finished his career with the Celtics. For many Pacers faithful, it would’ve been a treat to see their homegrown talent play for Indiana rather than elsewhere.

Eventually, Larry Legend did join the Pacers. However, not as a player but as a coach. He had a remarkable three-year coaching stint in Indy and was later hired as an executive for the team.

For sure, some Pacers fans, maybe even Walsh, still think about what if Bird chose Indiana over Boston. It would’ve definitely rewritten history and more importantly, it would’ve been one of the best things that happened in the history of the Pacers franchise.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Ex-Pacers president said Larry Bird shouldn’t have joined the Celtics: “He talks about guys staying in their state, right?”

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