Despite Millionaire Status, Celtics Icon Larry Bird Once Charged His Teammate a Petty Fine for 10 Minute Delay

3x NBA champion and Hall of Famer Larry Bird played for the Boston Celtics in the 80s. Bird is considered by many to be one of the greatest small forwards ever. He revolutionized the position with his deadly shooting skills at 6’9”. Bird’s on-court excellence and dominance made him one of the highest-paid players of his time. However, Bird wasn’t the type who left his debts unrecovered, no matter how small.

The Boston Celtics drafted Larry Bird in the 1980 NBA draft. After entering the league, Bird immediately proved his worth and brought the then-struggling Celtics back to the championship scene. The Indiana native went on to have a Hall of Famer career with the Celtics for the next decade as he brought multiple titles to the city. Unsurprisingly, Bird was also among the highest-paid players in the NBA at the time. But that didn’t stop him from collecting his dues from a teammate following a petty incident on the road in 1991.

Larry Bird collected fine from his teammate for being late

The 1990-91 season was the penultimate season of Larry Bird’s legendary career. It was mid-February, and the Celtics were on the road. Following their win against the Seattle Supersonics, Bird and the Celtics landed on the streets of San Fransisco to play against Chirs Mullin and the Golden State Warriors.

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The team was supposed to meet at 5:30 in the evening for practice. But a young player of the Celtics squad, Ed Pinckney, showed up late by 10 minutes before boarding the bus. It was the norm for Pinckney and his teammate Kleine to take a cab and arrive at the facility early to put up some extra work. However, Pinckney had overslept, was thus late, and had to take the bus with the rest of the team.? After frantically boarding the bus, Bird said to him,?“One-fifty, Pinckney.” “Cash,” he added. Despite being a millionaire, Bird didn’t hesitate to charge a petty fine to Pinckney. Though the exchange was in good faith, Ford and Bird had fun with the young Pinckney.?

After being among the highest-paid players in the NBA for over a decade, Larry Bird built a fortune with his earnings. Bird earned over $26 Million in Salary in his career. In his last season with the Celtics in 1992, he was the highest-paid player in the NBA with a $7 Million salary. According to sources, the 3x NBA champion is worth over $75 Million.

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Larry Bird and 5x NBA champion Magic Johnson helped revive the NBA in the 80s. The rivalry between Bird’s Celtics and Johnson’s Lakers produced some of the greatest moments in the history of the NBA. Their historic rivalry put the NBA back on the map after years of derailed reputation.