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Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"The truth was, I had very little input" - Bird says the Celtics denied him superstar power within the organization
Larry Bird doesn't look back at his Boston Celtics front office stint with a sense of pride. If anything, it was an unforgettable experience, though not in the way legends usually want to be remembered. His time in the C's ivory tower felt more like a PR move than a proper strategic role. The basketball icon who once defined the team's golden era found himself barred from making the decisions that could have shaped the franchise after retirement. Bird sidelined When Paul Gaston brought Larry into the Celtics' front office in the early '90s, it was seen as a sentimental play. Advertisement After all, this was a Boston legend, a three-time MVP, three-time NBA champion, and the guy who embodied Boston basketball. Gaston had done what any owner trying to regain favor with a restless fan base might do — tap into nostalgia and install a hero in the house. "Gaston always told me I could have any job I wanted in the organization, but the truth was, I had very little input," Bird said. "I think Gaston had trouble looking at me as anything except a former superstar, like some kind of figurehead." "In a way, I can understand that, because the first couple of years after I retired, I wasn't around much. But whenever I did come to town, everyone wanted to know what I thought about this player or that player," he continued. At the time, Bird was still revered across Boston. That reverence didn't seem to translate into real decision-making power, though. Advertisement His suggestions on roster moves and coaching hires were routinely ignored. Larry didn't want Sherman Douglas traded, yet Douglas was shipped out. He strongly advised against signing aging All-Star Dominique Wilkins, but Boston brought him in anyway. Bird had also pushed for Larry Brown as head coach, but the C's looked elsewhere, hiring Rick Pitino. There were a lot of differences of opinion and the beginning of a growing disconnect between "The Hick from French Lick" and the power structure he was supposed to be a part of. The team's decision-makers didn't seem to treat his input as strategy — they treated it like fan service. And that dissonance built up, season after season. Even the way players interacted with Bird suggested a lack of clarity in his role. Some saw him as an executive, others as a ceremonial presence. It blurred lines in the locker room and didn't help a franchise already struggling to find its identity after the retirement of its "Big 3" core. Advertisement Related: Scottie Pippen admits he is astounded by how Nikola Jokic plays the game of basketball: "That guy is the best player in basketball" Leaving Boston The years that followed the Celtics' 1980s dynasty weren't kind. The franchise stumbled into mediocrity in the '90s, failing to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for seven straight seasons between 1992 and 1999. Boston's once-feared brand of basketball was now marked by inconsistency and low expectations. And through all of that, Bird remained emotionally tethered to the team. "There's no question I had achieved a level of respect in Boston," he said. "But I spent a lot of years earning that respect. I think it was hard for Gaston to have me around sometimes, because it seemed as if no matter what he did, he took a beating in the press, while in their eyes, I could do no wrong." Advertisement That kind of imbalance didn't sit well with a team owner who navigated both on-court struggles and off-court criticism. Bird, meanwhile, became a symbol of what Boston used to be — and perhaps a reminder of what it had failed to build upon. The fanbase, media, and even rival executives continued associating the Celtics brand with Larry's legacy. Yet inside the organization, his presence created more tension than traction. In 1997, after five years of fighting for a seat at the actual decision-making table, Bird walked away and returned to the Indiana Pacers — this time to take the reins of a Pacers franchise that would, under his leadership, reach the NBA Finals in 2000. Related: "It's disappointing that so many relationships I had with people fell apart" - Bird on why he won't ever consider a front office role with the Celtics
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Once I gave the Celtics my list of coaches, I was frozen out" - Larry Bird admits frustration over not getting the coach he wanted in Boston
In the summer of 1997, the Boston Celtics found themselves at another crucial juncture. The franchise was still drifting in the post-Larry Bird era, buried in the rubble of the M.L. Carr years and desperate for a figure who could command respect and orchestrate a rebuild. Team owner Paul Gaston approached Bird, who had long retired as a player but remained a living symbol of Celtics pride, and informed him that the team was ready to move on from Carr as head coach. The legendary forward was asked to compile a list of candidates he believed could restore the C's to relevance. Bird frozen out Among the names Bird believed in, one stood above the rest: Larry Brown. Advertisement At that point, Brown was wrapping up a tenure with the Indiana Pacers, a team he had built into an Eastern Conference contender. He had a reputation for discipline, defensive fundamentals and a knack for getting the most out of role players — exactly the traits Boston needed after years of sliding into irrelevance. "If Larry Brown ended up as the Celtics coach, there was no doubt in my mind he'd get them back on track," Bird said. "He seemed as if he was the front-runner, but I was guessing. Once I gave the Celtics my list of coaches, I was frozen out. The Celtics weren't telling me anything." It wasn't just a gut feeling. Brown had transformed teams before — he'd taken the Los Angeles Clippers to the playoffs, won with the San Antonio Spurs and made the Pacers respectable. Bird had seen the results firsthand. With the Celtics mired in mediocrity, Brown's disciplined style and proven résumé made him a rare, qualified lifeline. Larry agreed to interview with Boston. Afterward, he called Larry, sounding upbeat. Before long, "Larry Legend" stopped hearing from anyone inside the Celtics organization. There was no follow-up from Gaston, no update from the front office. Brown, puzzled and still hopeful, called again — but Bird had no answers. There was a growing sense that the process had gone dark. Suddenly, Pitino was back in the conversation. Advertisement Related: "They think he was a chubby White guy" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thinks people don't appreciate Larry Bird enough Poor decisions Bird, once central to the planning of the new head coach, had been cast to the sidelines. One minute, everything was in place and the next it came crashing down. "Brown interviewed with the Celtics and called me afterward. He sounded excited," Bird recalled. "He told me, 'I think I've got the job.' He said Gaston told him he needed just a couple of more days and he'd get back to him with the details. I congratulated him and wished him luck. Next thing you know — boom, Larry Brown is not the next coach of the Celtics." Advertisement Brown never received an official explanation. The same man who'd believed he had the job was now left in the lurch. Not long after, the Philadelphia 76ers — equally desperate for a culture shift — swooped in and hired him. That summer, Bird was left with a bitter taste. The Celtics had slipped further away from what he believed they could become, and he carried guilt about how things had ended for Brown. The Celtics, meanwhile, turned to Pitino, who finally agreed to take over in a high-profile deal that made him both president and head coach. It was a power move on Gaston's part, but it came at the expense of stability. Rick's tenure in Boston would last just three and a half seasons and include only one playoff appearance. By the time he left in 2001, the Celtics were no better off than when they started — if anything, they were in a deeper hole — with a 102–146 record under his watch. Bird, on the other hand, moved on to coach the Pacers and, in a twist of fate, led them to an NBA Finals appearance in 2000. Advertisement His vision for building a contender had not been misguided. It had just been ignored in Boston. Related: "The truth was, I had very little input" - Bird says the Celtics denied him superstar power within the organization
