Larry Bird to Dominique Wilkins on their first game: ‘I like you, you got balls, but I’m still getting 30 on your ass tonight’

Dominique Wilkins on Larry Bird: ‘Larry and I we played against each other like 12, 13 years. We never shook hands we never spoke. Never. Great players back then you didn’t want another great player to get that close to you. So none of us liked each other, never spoke. I didn’t speak to him for 13 years straight! Hey listen, first time I played against him. I’m a rookie, I’m glad to be in the league, I’m in the Boston Garden and I’m guarding him, right? First play of the game he said ‘I don’t know why you got you guarding me homes’. He shoots a three and I wouldn’t mad he made the three I said but this son of a b*tch just called me homes? (laughs). And so the next play you know I’m coming, I’m pissed so he comes out he shifts to his right and I jump. I said ‘I got him’ and I’m pumping it and I banged it on him and he on the ground, he fouled me and I’m pointing and he said ‘hey rook’ and I’m like ‘what!’ he said ‘I like you, you got balls, but I’m still getting 30 on your ass tonight.’ He got about 37 but I wasn’t mad because I’m paying my dues, that’s Larry. But that was the only time he ever talked trash to me because he knew I was going to keep coming.’